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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Tom Watson's Magazine, Vol. I, No. 2, April 1905</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Various</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Editor: Thomas E. Watson</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: April 18, 2022 [eBook #67871]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: hekula03 and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from images made available by the HathiTrust Digital Library.)</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TOM WATSON'S MAGAZINE, VOL. I, NO. 2, APRIL 1905 ***</div> - -<div class="transnote bbox covernote"> - -<p class="f120 space-above1">Transcriber’s Note:</p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p class="indent">The cover was created by the transcriber using elements -from the original cover, and is placed in the public domain.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="bbox"> - -<p class="bigfont no-indent f300"><span class="u"><i>Jefferson’s Bible</i></span></p> - -<p class="blockquot no-indent">A rare volume for the book-lover -readers of <span class="smcap">Tom Watson’s Magazine</span></p> - -<p class="bigfont no-indent">102 YEARS AGO</p> - -<p class="blockquot no-indent">Thomas Jefferson, while “overwhelmed with other business,” -cut such passages from the Evangelists as he believed would -best present the ethical teachings of Jesus, and “arranged -them on the pages of a blank book in a certain order of time or -subject.” This book he called “The Philosophy of Jesus of -Nazareth.”</p> - -<p class="blockquot">For many years the manuscript of this wonderful book -has lain in the archives of the State Department at Washington, -and public clamor for its publication at last became so -great that Congress recently ordered it issued as a public -document—but in very limited number.</p> - -<p class="blockquot">Before the original was turned over to the State Department, -an accurate copy of it was made while in the possession -of Col. Thomas Jefferson Randolph, Mr. Jefferson’s -oldest grandson. From this copy was printed the edition -now offered to our subscribers.</p> - -<p class="bigfont no-indent">TOM WATSON’S MAGAZINE<br /> -<small>AND</small><br /> -THOMAS JEFFERSON’S BIBLE</p> - -<p class="blockquot">For $1.35, sent direct to this office, we will enter a -year’s subscription to TOM WATSON’S MAGAZINE -and mail a copy of the Jefferson Bible, postage prepaid. -A dollar book and a dollar magazine—both for only $1.35. -Send today. Do it now. Address</p> - -<p class="f150"><b>TOM WATSON’S MAGAZINE</b></p> -<p class="center">121 West 42d Street, <span class="ws4">New York, N. Y.</span></p> - -</div> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<h1>TOM WATSON’S MAGAZINE</h1> -<p class="f90">THE MAGAZINE WITH A PURPOSE BACK OF IT</p> -<p class="f150"><b>April, 1905</b></p> - -<hr class="r25" /> - -<table summary=" " cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"> - <tbody> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><i>Politics and Economics</i> </td> - <td class="tdr_ws1"><i>Thomas E. Watson</i></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Politics_and_Economics">129</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><small><i>In Russia—“Give Them Free - Passes and They Will Become as<br />Servants”—Two Outlaws—Building - on Sand, Again—Look at<br />England—Editorial Comments—How Private - Ownership<br />Breaks Down.</i></small></td> - <td class="tdr"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><i>The Patriot</i></td> - <td class="tdr_ws1"> </td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#The_Patriot">142</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><i>The Atonement of Hustler Joe</i></td> - <td class="tdr_ws1"><i>Eleanor H. Porter</i></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#The_Atonement_of_Hustler_Joe">145</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><i>The Constitution</i></td> - <td class="tdr_ws1"><i>Frederick Upham Adams</i></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#The_Constitution">181</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><i>In Absence</i></td> - <td class="tdr_ws1"><i>Eugene C. Dolson</i></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#In_Absence">185</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><i>The Gray Weed</i></td> - <td class="tdr_ws1"><i>Owen Oliver</i></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#The_Gray_Weed">187</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><i>With Caste Against Him</i></td> - <td class="tdr_ws1"><i>Hugh Pendexter</i></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#With_Caste_Against_Him">196</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><i>Corrupt Practices in Elections</i></td> - <td class="tdr_ws1"><i>Hon. Lucius F. C. Garvin</i></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Corrupt_Practices_in_Elections">203</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"></td> - <td class="tdr_ws1"><i>Ex-Governor of Rhode Island</i></td> - <td class="tdr"></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><i>Pole Baker</i></td> - <td class="tdr_ws1"><i>Will N. Harben</i></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Pole_Baker">208</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><i>How I Dined With President Grant</i></td> - <td class="tdr_ws1"><i>B. F. Riley</i></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#How_I_Dined_With_President_Grant">221</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><i>The New York Children’s Court</i></td> - <td class="tdr_ws1"><i>Hon. Joseph M. Deuel</i></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#The_New_York_Childrens_Court">225</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><i>What Buzz-Saw Morgan Thinks</i></td> - <td class="tdr_ws1"><i>W. S. Morgan</i></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#What_Buzz-Saw_Morgan_Thinks">234</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><i>The Heritage of Maxwell Fair</i></td> - <td class="tdr_ws1"><i>Vincent Harper</i></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#The_Heritage_of_Maxwell_Fair">236</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><i>The Say of Reform Editors</i></td> - <td class="tdr_ws1"> </td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#The_Say_of_Reform_Editors">245</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><i>News Record</i></td> - <td class="tdr_ws1"> </td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#News_Record">248</a></td> - </tr> - </tbody> -</table> - -<p class="f90 space-above1">Application made for entry as Second-Class Matter at<br /> -New York (N. Y.) Post Office, March, 1905<br />Copyright, 1905, in U. S. and Great Britain.<br /> -Published by <span class="smcap">Tom Watson’s Magazine</span>,<br />121 West 42d Street, N. Y.</p> - -<p class="center">TERMS: $1.00 A YEAR; 10 CENTS A NUMBER</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p class="f90">TOM WATSON’S MAGAZINE ADVERTISER</p> - -<p class="f150"><i>What the Country Thinks of</i></p> - -<p class="f200">TOM WATSON’S -MAGAZINE</p> - -<p>“A good fighter.”—<i>Buffalo Times.</i></p> - -<p>“What Mr. Watson says is forcible.”—<i>Buffalo Express.</i></p> - -<p>“Has a great deal of spicy reading.”—<i>Troy (N. Y.) Times.</i></p> - -<p>“Read <span class="smcap">Tom Watson’s Magazine</span>.”—<i>Editorial, Boston American.</i></p> - -<p>“The Hon. Tom is at the front, naturally and properly.”—<i>N. Y. Sun.</i></p> - -<p>“Bears out all that Mr. Watson promised for it.”—<i>Philadelphia Press.</i></p> - -<p>“Besides specials there is an abundance of good fiction.”—<i>N. Y. World.</i></p> - -<p>“More than twice the money’s worth.”—<i>Stephen Fiske, in Spirit of the Times.</i></p> - -<p>“Some capital things in prose and verse.”—<i>New York Times Saturday Review.</i></p> - -<p>“Mr. Watson’s pen has lost none of its spice.”—<i>Binghamton (N. Y.) Republican.</i></p> - -<p>“It stands, and will ever stand, for the principle of truth and justice.”—<i>Chicago -American.</i></p> - -<p>“Tom Watson, the broadest-minded statesman in the South.”—<i>Southern Mercury, -Dallas, Tex.</i></p> - -<p>“He by no means writes as a defeated candidate. Optimism is the keynote of his -salutatory.”—<i>New York Herald.</i></p> - -<p>“Although Mr. Watson attacks his opponents in a lively fashion, he shows no -bitterness.”—<i>The Fourth Estate.</i></p> - -<p>“Watson’s thoughts are upon great things, and he will not be diverted by inconsequential -affairs.”—<i>Joliet (Ill.) News.</i></p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Tom Watson’s Magazine</span> is the latest addition to the list of first-class periodicals -of the country.”—<i>Puget Sound American.</i></p> - -<p>“Filled with the piquant, forceful, pungent sentences for which Tom Watson is -famous.”—<i>Nebraska Independent, Lincoln, Neb.</i></p> - -<p>“Clean, entertaining and filled with a full sheath of articles, poems and stories -by well-known writers.”—<i>Boston Tribune.</i></p> - -<p>“Mr. Watson is an intelligent, aggressive writer, with the courage needed by every -man who enters the lists as a reformer.”—<i>Topeka Herald.</i></p> - -<p>“Mr. Thos. E. Watson is a brilliant writer on history, and an honest man, sincerely -interested in the welfare of mankind.”—<i>Kansas City Times.</i></p> - -<p>“It shall ever stand for the rights of those who believe in Democracy; it stands -and will ever stand for the principles of truth and justice.”—<i>San Francisco Examiner.</i></p> - -<p>“The magazine will be useful as an educational force, and all reformers welcome, -or should welcome, every publication which is educational in its purpose.”—<i>W. J. -Bryan’s Commoner.</i></p> - -<p>“Following Tom Lawson, Tom Watson will begin his magazine next month. -Now, if Teddy will use the big stick when the two Toms throw the limelight, the great -audience will be ‘de-lighted.’”—<i>American Standard, Indianapolis, Ind.</i></p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_129"></a>[Pg 129]</span></p> - -<p class="f200"><b><i><span class="smcap">Tom Watson’s Magazine</span></i></b></p> - -<p class="f120"><span class="smcap">Vol. I</span> <span class="ws3">APRIL, 1905</span> <span class="ws3">No. 2</span></p> - -<hr class="r25" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<a name="Politics_and_Economics" id="Politics_and_Economics"> </a> -<h2 class="nobreak"><i>Politics and Economics</i></h2></div> - -<p class="center space-above1 space-below1">BY THOMAS E. WATSON</p> - -<h3><i>In Russia</i></h3> - -<p class="drop-cap">“A TALE of Two Cities,” -written by the great novelist, -Charles Dickens, contains -a vivid picture, which shows -the relation existing between a nobleman -of the Old Order in France and -one of the common people.</p> - -<p>In that day the streets were narrow. -Sidewalks did not separate -the space used by those who went -on foot from that used by those -who went in vehicles. From the -houses on the one side to the houses -on the other, travel was free to -all: those on the ground were ever -in danger from those who were in -vehicles.</p> - -<p>Dickens describes the progress of -the carriage of one of the French -aristocrats, driven at headlong speed -along these narrow streets. It whirled -around the corners with a wild rattle -and clatter, and with an utter lack of -consideration for pedestrians. Women -and children scattered, screaming, -to get out of its way, and men -clutched at one another to escape the -danger.</p> - -<p>At last, whirling round a corner, by -a fountain, one of the wheels of this -furiously driven carriage strikes a -little child and kills it. Amid the -loud cries of those who behold the -sickening spectacle the horses rear -and plunge and the carriage comes to -a standstill. The nobleman looks out -and calmly inquires what has gone -wrong. He is told that a child has -been run over.</p> - -<p>A man is bending over the lifeless -form, screaming with grief.</p> - -<p>“Why does he make that abominable -noise?” asks the nobleman.</p> - -<p>“Pardon me, Monsieur le Marquis, -it was his child,” explains one of the -crowd humbly.</p> - -<p>“Killed!” screams the father, lifting -and extending his arms. “Dead!” he -cries.</p> - -<p>The Marquis runs his eye over all -the rabble, as though they were so -many rats come out of their holes. -He draws out his purse.</p> - -<p>“I do not see why it is that you -people won’t take care of yourselves -and children? One or the other of -you are always in the way. <span class="smcap">How do -I know that you have not injured -one of my horses?</span>”</p> - -<p>With this he throws a gold coin on -the ground beside the father of the -child.</p> - -<p>The crazed parent continues to -scream: “Dead! Dead!”</p> - -<p>As the Marquis is driving away, the -gold coin which he had thrown to the -ground is flung back into the carriage, -and falls rattling at his feet.</p> - -<p>“Hold!” says the Marquis. “Hold -the horses! Who threw that coin?”</p> - -<p>The crowd makes no answer. No -blouse-clad man dare look him in the -eye.</p> - -<p>“You dogs!” says the Marquis -smoothly; “I would ride over any of -you very willingly and exterminate -you from the earth. If I knew who it -was that threw that coin I would have -the brigand crushed under the wheels.”</p> - -<p>So cowed were they, so long and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_130"></a>[Pg 130]</span> -hard had been their experience of -what such a man could do to them, -that not a voice or a hand or an eye -was raised.</p> - -<p>Such was the condition of the -French before the great Revolution of -1789; and while the picture is drawn -by a novelist, it is the picture of a -novelist who painted human life and -human conditions as they were never -painted before. His pictures were -photographs.</p> - -<p>In another book, not a novel but a -history, (the title and the author of -which shall not be mentioned here), -there is another description of human -relations under the <i>Ancien Régime</i>, -and that description claims to be -literally true. I quote the author’s -own words:</p> - -<p>“Was it not in this same year, 1788, -that the Duke of Béthune’s carriage, -dashing through the narrow streets, -as was the aristocratic custom, ran -over a little girl in the rue de la Ferronnerie -and killed her?</p> - -<p>“Did not the mother see it all? Did -not she rush wildly to the scene, -snatch up the poor crushed form, gaze -distractedly into the eyes for light <i>and -see none</i>, lay her cheek to that of the -child to feel the warmth of life <i>and feel -none</i>?</p> - -<p>“Still was the little heart, gone the -breath, blanched the cheeks, frozen -the tiny hands.</p> - -<p>“What sound does the ear ever hear -like that of the voice that was heard -of old in Ramah?</p> - -<p>“Shriek after shriek split the air, -piercing every heart in the crowd that -gathered as the frantic mother, holding -her dead child in her arms, gave -voice to her grief.</p> - -<p>“<i>And the Duke, what said he?</i> ‘<span class="smcap">Let -the woman come to my house, and -she shall be paid for her loss.</span>’</p> - -<p>“He had not even left the carriage; -<i>he had not spoken a word of sympathy -or regret</i>.</p> - -<p>“In his view of the case he had done -some damage to this woman, and, -being a man of honor, he was ready to -settle the bill.</p> - -<p>“That was all. ‘Drive on, -coachman!’—and never a thought more did -the Duke waste on the mother or -child. <i>They were not of his world, but -of another and a lower.</i>”</p> - -<p>This was more than one hundred -years ago. Ever since that time we -have supposed that the human race -has been advancing onward and upward -toward a higher and a better -civilization.</p> - -<p>The philosopher has reflected and -advised. The statesman has studied -and planned. The reformer has made -his battle-axe ring at the door of every -abuse.</p> - -<p>Learning has spoken from all our -schools. Religion has preached from -all our temples; and yet in one of the -nations of Europe, where the king and -the priest have had absolute control -of the minds and the bodies of the -people for hundreds of years, the point -of view of the aristocrat is precisely -the same that it was in France in the -year 1788. And the man of the common -people submits humbly in 1905 -just as he did in 1788.</p> - -<p>In Russia no man’s conscience is his -own; it belongs to the Church. In -Russia no man’s action is free; he belongs -to the State. The Czar rules by -“<i>Divine Right</i>.” He is the earthly -representative of <i>the Most High God</i>; -the common people of the land are -mere dirt under his feet, being of a -different world and a lower.</p> - -<p>A few Sundays ago his people, in -the belief that his heart—the heart of -their “Little Father”—was accessible -to pity and to the plea for justice, -were coming in peaceful procession, -accompanied by their wives and their -children, to kneel at his feet, lift up -their supplicating hands, and, with -their own tongues, reach his ear with -the true story of their grievances.</p> - -<p>Their Little Father refused to see -them or hear them.</p> - -<p>Their Little Father threw a glittering -line of steel between himself and -his “children.” The Little Father -ordered, “<i>Fire!</i>” and his children fell -before the storm of lead.</p> - -<p>They were shot down like dogs; -women and children were sabered or<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_131"></a>[Pg 131]</span> -crushed under the iron-shod feet of -horses; they were scourged back to -their hovels, their cellars, their sweltering -dens.</p> - -<p>And the hundreds of dead bodies -which littered the streets were thrown -into the river like so much carrion.</p> - -<p>A few days afterward it was considered -good politics by the Grand -Dukes who control this contemptible -little Czar to grant a hearing to a -deputation representing these same -laborers.</p> - -<p>The whole world had been aroused -to anger and indignation at the manner -in which the Cossacks had massacred -the people.</p> - -<p>Public sentiment had made itself -felt even in the inner circles of the -heartless oligarchy which controls the -Russian Empire.</p> - -<p>Therefore the Czar was told to receive -the deputation, and he did so. -The deputation bowed down to the -earth before the Czar, who said: -“<i>Good day, my children.</i> I have summoned -you to hear my words, and to -communicate them to your companions. -The recent unfortunate -events were <i>the inevitable results of -your own lawless actions</i>. Those who -induced you to address this petition -to me desire to see you revolt against -me and my government.” After a -few more words of the same complacent -character, this representative of -God on earth said to the delegation:</p> - -<p>“I am convinced of <i>the innocence of -the workingmen</i>, and believe that <i>they</i> -are well disposed toward me. <span class="smcap">I will -pardon those transgressors. Return -again to your work. May -God assist you.</span>”</p> - -<p>The history of the world has so -many revolting passages that I cannot -say that this Russian episode surpasses -others, but when the head of a -great Christian government tunes his -tongue to the formula of Divine Right -which was current during the Dark -Ages, and gives us a dash of medievalism, -to be reported by a special correspondent -in the daily newspapers, -there is something so anomalous about -the situation that it makes a peculiar -impression of its own.</p> - -<p>At least 2,000 of this emperor’s -“children” had been butchered in -cold blood for the high crime of wishing -to present a petition to him for -shorter hours of labor and a more -liberal recognition of their status as -human beings.</p> - -<p>“May God assist you,” says the -Czar—leaving it to the benighted -minds of these untutored workmen to -find out how it is that God is going to -assist them, when the representative -of God on earth shoots them down by -the thousand, tramples them beneath -the hoofs of Cossack horses, slashes -them with Cossack sabers, pierces -them with Cossack lances, lashes them -with Cossack scourges, and sends -them bleeding and howling back to -their hopeless homes and miserable -lives, for no offense other than the -wish to kneel at his feet and pray for -better treatment.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">I forgive you!</span>” says the Czar.</p> - -<p><i>Forgives them for what?</i></p> - -<p>For being denied the right to petition -the throne, for being driven back -into serfdom, for being hacked and -slashed and trampled and bullet-riddled -by the hireling savages of a -barbarian government!</p> - -<p>“<i>As the Great Father above forgives, -so I, your Little Father, forgives.</i>”</p> - -<p>Amen. Let the whimpering wretch -who nurses a saber-slashed head recover -in peace. <i>He is pardoned for -having been Cossacked.</i></p> - -<p>Let the father who drags his lifeless -daughter from under the hoofs of the -warhorse go weep over her in comfort—he -and she are <i>forgiven for having -dared to hope for mercy from the Czar</i>.</p> - -<p>And the nameless dead who went -forth that Sabbath morning, following -the heroic priest whose baton was the -Cross of Christ—went forth in the -glow of lofty purpose and pathetic -hope, and whose bodies are now feeding -the fishes of the Neva—let them -also rest in peace—<i>their Little Father -has forgiven them</i>.</p> - -<p>“How do I know that you have not<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_132"></a>[Pg 132]</span> -injured my horses?” asked Dickens’s -Marquis, while the frantic peasant was -lamenting his crushed child.</p> - -<p>“Let the woman come to my house; -she shall be paid. Drive on, coachman,” -said the Duke of Béthune.</p> - -<p>“Served you right!” says the Czar.</p> - -<p>“Served you right!” say the Grand -Dukes, speaking through the individual -called Vladimir.</p> - -<p>“You should not have quit work. -You should not have asked a hearing. -You got crushed by my troops. I -forgive you for it. Go back to your -work. Be content with your lot. -May God assist you.”</p> - -<p>Thus the voice of class-rule speaks -in Russia today as it spoke in France -on the eve of the Revolution, and as -it always has spoken in every part of -the world <i>since man learned the trick of -enslaving his brother</i>.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>As everybody knows, the real governors -of the vast empire of Russia -are the Grand Dukes. The Czar is a -mere puppet in their hands. When he -is obedient they control him. When -he is disobedient they murder him. -Thus they killed Paul, the father -of Alexander the First, because he -favored an alliance with Napoleon -Bonaparte, while the Grand Dukes -favored an alliance with Great Britain. -They would “remove” the present -emperor if he were to pit his will -against theirs.</p> - -<p>The spokesman of the present cabal -of Grand Dukes is Vladimir, as perfect -a type of the cruel, obstinate, -narrow-minded aristocrat as Europe -ever saw in its worst days.</p> - -<p>Speaking to Michael Davitt, the -Irish member of the British Parliament, -this Grand Duke declared that -the reason why representation could -not be given to the common people of -Russia was that <i>they were not fit to -exercise it</i>.</p> - -<p>He regarded and intended this to be -an indictment against the common -people. On the contrary, it is a tremendous -indictment against the government.</p> - -<p>The Russian people, as distinguished -from the Russian aristocracy, have -been completely under the control of -the laws and the administration which -the ruling class saw fit to establish. -The altar and the throne have supported -each other. Church and State -have been firm and fast allies. Ever -since the days of Peter the Great the -minds and the consciences of the -common people of Russia have been -absolutely dominated by the ruling -class.</p> - -<p>The shepherds have had full control -of the flock. The guardians have had -no interference with the education of -their wards.</p> - -<p>If after so many hundreds of years -the mass of the Russian people are so -steeped in ignorance and superstition -that they are unfit to exercise the -common rights of manhood, <i>that fact</i>, -if it be fact, <i>damns the Russian aristocracy -with the deep guilt of having debased -the nation committed to its care -and guidance</i>.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>No substantial reform has ever been -conceded within a state governed by -king or aristocracy until the blood of -sacrifice has first been shed.</p> - -<p>Spain would grant no concessions to -those who claimed freedom of conscience -in the Netherlands, until years -of warfare had drenched the soil of -Holland with the blood of heroes, who -fought and died for those principles -which we carelessly and unappreciatively -enjoy today.</p> - -<p>France would loosen none of the -chains which galled the peasant, until -that peasant rose in his desperation -and paid with his life for the liberty -his descendants inherit. The king -was deaf to all prayers.</p> - -<p>The aristocracy drove from power -with insults and persecution every -enlightened minister who proposed to -better the condition of the common -people by conceding moderate reforms. -It was only when the desperation -of despair roused the people -to a furious attack upon time-honored -abuses and vested wrongs of every -conceivable kind, that “<i>privilege</i>” -would harken to reason, and Right<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_133"></a>[Pg 133]</span> -could find a place on the statute-book.</p> - -<p>In England the story has been the -same. In the long procession of the -ages in which the common people have -wrung, one by one, from the grip of -aristocracy those liberties upon which -we now pride ourselves, the price of -blood has been always demanded, and -invariably paid. Never has king or -aristocrat conceded a single demand -of the reformers until those reformers -had either won it in battle or had -made such a demonstration as <i>struck -fear into the hearts of the ruling class</i>.</p> - -<p>In Russia precisely the same state -of affairs exists, and if ever liberal institutions -are to take the place of -grand ducal tyranny and class-rule in -that empire the soil will once more -drink the blood of sacrifice. It was so -in the beginning, is now, and ever will -be, perhaps, for human nature is the -same “yesterday, today and forever.”</p> - -<p>The man who believes that the autocratic -class in Russia will give up its -advantages without a fight is a superficial -student of history, just as the -man who believes that the dominating -trusts and corporations in these United -States can be made, by moral suasion, -to turn loose, is an idle dreamer who -knows nothing of the greed of class-rule. -No matter under what name it -exploits the people, or under what -form it exerts its power, or under -what particular system of legislation it -usurps control and veils its rascalities, -to make it <i>turn loose</i> you must beat it -in battle <span class="smcap">or make it afraid</span>.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<h3>“<i>Give Them Free Passes and -They Will Become as Servants</i>”</h3> - -<p>The manner in which the railway -pass can make honest men steal was -never illustrated more clearly than -when the Southern Railroad of J. P. -Morgan, a few days ago, filched -$142,000 from the taxpayers of this -country.</p> - -<p>It was a shameless, impudent, vulgarly -common steal—nothing else. -The Congressmen who stole this money -for the Wall Street King, J. P. Morgan, -were led by the well-known statesman -of Alabama, John H. Bedstead.</p> - -<p>Many and many a year ago a -stupid Post-Office Department adopted -the policy of paying subsidies to certain -railroads for the carriage of mails -which they had already contracted -to carry.</p> - -<p>It is doubtful whether a single -dollar of this money was well spent. -To secure the ridiculously high prices -which the government pays for the -carriage of the mail, the railroads -could always have been induced to -contract for as speedy a delivery as -was possible.</p> - -<p>Subsidies could not make them do -more. Even a stupid P. O. Department -woke up to this fact, at last, and -quit paying the subsidies.</p> - -<p>Mails were carried just as fast after -that as before.</p> - -<p>The rate of payment is so high—the -plum so very luscious—that the -corporation could not refuse the contracts, -<i>especially when they could borrow -a rascally congressman’s frank, stuff -the bags with bogus mail, and thus secure -a false average of weight upon -which they were paid for the whole -year</i>.</p> - -<p>(Congressman Livingston of Georgia -can tell you how this is done.)</p> - -<p>But the Southern Railroad clung -to the subsidy.</p> - -<p><i>It needed the money</i>, as Meredith -of Virginia once plaintively stated in -the House.</p> - -<p>The P. O. Department no longer -asked it or advised it—but certain -congressmen from the South who are -ravenously fond of free passes stood -by the hungry corporation, and at -every session of Congress this subsidy -is voted.</p> - -<p>The false pretense, used as an excuse, -is that it secures <i>fast mail for the South</i>.</p> - -<p>There is no truth in the statement. -Under an ordinary contract for mail -carriage, the government can secure -precisely the same service as the -railroad gives in return for the subsidy. -In other words, the $142,000<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_134"></a>[Pg 134]</span> -is <i>a gift to the Wall Street Monarch, -J. P. Morgan</i>.</p> - -<p>Hon. James H. Blount of Georgia was -for many years Chairman of the Committee -on Post-Offices and Post Roads.</p> - -<p>He understood every detail of that -service. He bitterly opposed this subsidy. -I myself heard him denounce -it in the most wrathful manner; and -he declared on the floor of the House -that the people got nothing whatever -for it.</p> - -<p>It was a donation—nothing more.</p> - -<p>Blount’s place in Congress is now -partially filled by a different kind of -man—and the indignant protest of -the South against the contemplated -steal was not voiced by him or by -any other member from Georgia.</p> - -<p>That honor was won by Tennessee.</p> - -<p>When Hon. John A. Moon and -John Wesley Gaines denounced this -subsidy as it deserved, they earned -the applause and the grateful remembrance -of every honest man in the -South.</p> - -<p>The Hon. R. B. Macon of Arkansas -also deserves the highest credit for his -opposition to the theft.</p> - -<p>Of course, “Slippery Jim” Richardson -of Tennessee rushed to the relief -of the corporation, <i>as “Slippery Jim” -always does</i>, and the robbers, led by -the Bedstead statesman of Alabama, -prevailed.</p> - -<p>The Congressman from Georgia, or -Alabama or any other Southern state -who helps Samuel Spencer and J. P. -Morgan steal the taxes of the people -upon the plea that it is done for the -benefit of the South, merits the scorn -and contempt of every decent Southern -man.</p> - -<p>But those who excuse their votes -upon that pretense are hypocrites, or -dupes.</p> - -<p>They know, or should know, that -the subsidy gives no benefit to the -South which she would not be entitled -to under an ordinary mail contract.</p> - -<p>The Congressmen who stole this -money from the treasury for Morgan’s -Railroad were seduced <i>by the indirect -bribery of railway favors</i>—JUST THAT, -and NOTHING ELSE.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<h3><i>Two Outlaws</i></h3> - -<p>Once upon a time there was a great -lawyer, orator, financier and statesman -who was honest. He bore himself -among men with the port of a -king, and even strangers, when they -passed him on the streets, would stop -and look back at that majestic figure -with involuntary admiration. To see -him was to get a new idea of the natural -impressiveness of a great man. To -hear him talk was to learn more than -you had ever dreamed of the infinite -variety of creative intellect.</p> - -<p>I knew him well. And I looked up -to him as I have since looked up to the -higher summits of the Rocky Mountains—with -wondering awe for height -which I might never hope to reach.</p> - -<p>Royal as this man was in all his ways, -his heart was warm and true. Pure -as the woman he called wife in his loyalty -to the marriage tie, his morality -recognized the double-life nowhere, and -he scorned all that was mean and false -and cruel and oppressive.</p> - -<p>Always and everywhere he was for -the under-dog.</p> - -<p>A more stalwart soldier of Right -never stood up in defense of the weak.</p> - -<p>In a murder case he was able to -command a fee of ten thousand dollars; -but he was proudest of that triumph -he won in the court-house when -he volunteered to defend a penniless -negro, and saved the life of the accused -by tearing open his shirt and showing -the scars which the black man had -received on a battlefield in Virginia -while defending the life of his young -master.</p> - -<p>Having incurred the displeasure of -the Federal authorities prior to the -Civil War and by certain conduct of -his during that war, the best Government -the world ever saw told him to -“git up and git”—and he did it. In -his native land he was outlawed.</p> - -<p>He went to Europe for his health.</p> - -<p>While waiting for the wrath of Thaddeus -Stevens to cool, he studied conditions -abroad—particularly the railroad -systems and the public schools.</p> - -<p>Upon his return home he created a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_135"></a>[Pg 135]</span> -demand for a new Constitution for his -State, and in the convention which -framed it he was the undisputed leader.</p> - -<p>The legislative appropriations for the -convention were spent before the Constitution -was finished, and the patriots -were about to disband. Average patriotism -moves on its belly, as an army -does.</p> - -<p>The Georgia outlaw of whom I have -been writing borrowed $25,000 from -his Cotton Factors, and financed the -convention until the Constitution was -finished.</p> - -<p>On two occasions only was this Outlaw -ever seen to weep in public—once -when the Constitutional Convention of -Georgia thanked him for his princely -generosity, and once when he stood at -the coffin of Alexander H. Stephens to -deliver the memorial address.</p> - -<p>In the new Constitution of Georgia -the Outlaw believed he had embodied -three grand provisions:</p> - -<p>(1) He had made the looting of the -treasury a difficult job.</p> - -<p>(2) He had established a system of -public schools to educate at public expense -the children of the poor as well as -the rich.</p> - -<p>(3) He had put a curb on corporation -tyranny; made it illegal for competitive -lines of railways to combine, and -had created a commission to regulate -and control the transportation companies.</p> - -<p>This was the Georgia Outlaw’s proudest -work. He exulted over it; he regarded -it as his monument: he relied -on it to benefit his people for generations -to come.</p> - -<p>In this belief he lived out the remnant -of his days, and in this belief he -died.</p> - -<p>Where are now the competing railroads -in Georgia?</p> - -<p>We have none. Mergers, leases, allied -interests have swallowed them all. -Monopoly rules from border to border. -Constitutional provisions are dead letters.</p> - -<p>The corporations who nullify our law -and plunder our people keep paid corruptionists -busy all the year round to -defeat investigation and reform.</p> - -<p>When the legislature meets, these -professional corruptionists all flock to -the Capitol. They remain throughout -the session.</p> - -<p>If any member seeks to vindicate -the outraged Constitution, these lobbyists -employ every weapon known to -the armory of corruptionists to kill the -measure.</p> - -<p>The campaign fund with which the -present Governor beat his competitor -was furnished by the railroads.</p> - -<p>The notorious Hamp McWorter, -State lobbyist for the Southern Railroad, -was tendered a place on the Supreme -Bench by this Governor, who -owed his election to railroad money.</p> - -<p>The Railroad Commission has been -reduced to a state bordering on imbecility. -If they pass orders which the -corporations dislike the orders are ignored. -They no more control the railroads -than the saddle on a horse controls -the horse.</p> - -<p>Three excellent gentlemen draw comfortable -salaries for acting as commissioners; -the railroad lawyers have something -to play with; the corporations -are sometimes annoyed by having to -evade direct answers to troublesome -questions, and by having to get a Federal -Judge to discipline the Commission; -but that is about all.</p> - -<p><i>J. P. Morgan is the absolute king of -the railroads of Georgia.</i></p> - -<p>He makes the Governor, controls the -Legislature, overrides the Commission -and tramples the Constitution of the -State under his feet.</p> - -<p>The Georgia Outlaw made the Constitution -for the good of the people; -the Wall Street Outlaw violates it for -the good of Wall Street plutocrats.</p> - -<p>In making the Constitution, the -Georgia Outlaw had the help of the -best people of the State, and his work -was sanctioned by a popular vote after -it was finished.</p> - -<p>In violating the Constitution, J. P. -Morgan has the aid of the worst men -in Georgia, and they dare not submit -their work to a free vote of the people.</p> - -<p>The party machinery of the Democratic -party is prostituted to the vile -uses of the corporation lobbyists, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_136"></a>[Pg 136]</span> -the negro vote is held in reserve to be -used as a club to beat down any organized -opposition.</p> - -<p>The Georgia Outlaw who made our -Constitution was a Democrat; the Wall -Street Outlaw who violates it is a Republican.</p> - -<p>Georgia is a Democratic state. The -Democratic party is in full control of -every branch of the Government.</p> - -<p>Thus we have an amazing spectacle. -A Republican Wall Street outlaw uses -the machinery of the Democratic party -in Georgia to trample upon the Constitution -and plunder the people.</p> - -<p>What is the secret of this astonishing -situation?</p> - -<p>Bribery—direct and indirect BRIBERY.</p> - -<p>Daily and weekly newspapers subsidized; -rebates given to certain shippers; -favors granted where they will -do the most good; campaign funds supplied -to needy candidates; free passes -dealt out by the bushel; princely salaries -paid to plausible lobbyists.</p> - -<p>Bribery, <i>bribery</i>, BRIBERY!</p> - -<p>In no other way can you account for -such a shocking state of affairs.</p> - -<p>When Democrats hold down a Democratic -State while a Wall Street Republican -robs it, there is just one explanation—only -one—BRIBERY.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<h3><i>Building on Sand, Again</i></h3> - -<p>With a strenuous rush and clang -and clatter, President Roosevelt has -set out to solve the Railroad -Problem.</p> - -<p>All honor to him for the motive. -To his everlasting credit be it remembered -that he recognized the -abuses of the present system and -shouldered the task of reform.</p> - -<p>But Mr. Roosevelt’s remedy will -never reach the seat of the disease.</p> - -<p>In a case of blood poison, shin-plasters -for surface abrasions never -yet saved the patient; and Mr. Roosevelt’s -plans for another tribunal <i>to -control the railroads</i> are mere shin-plasters.</p> - -<p>The trouble is that <i>the corporations -will control the new tribunals</i>, -just as they have controlled the old -ones.</p> - -<p>The tremendous pressure which combined -capital can bring to bear upon -any tribunal which Congress creates -will be irresistible in the future, as it -has been in the past. Poor human -nature is simply unable to withstand -temptations which assume so many -seductive forms, and intimidations -which assail natural weakness in such -a variety of ways. So vast is the -power of the corporations to reward -or punish, enrich or impoverish, that -individuals sink into nothingness by -comparison. No man is beyond their -reach. If they cannot act upon the -official himself, they can strike him -through his family, or relatives, or -friends, or business connections.</p> - -<p>Somewhere, within the little world -in which he lives, they will find someone -who will yield to their temptations -or surrender to their power to -hurt.</p> - -<p>Railroads have been known to do -great things for the son of a Judge -who was about to try an important -case.</p> - -<p>Governors, Senators, Judges, Railroad -Commissioners sometimes have -relatives who are more or less willing -to get hold of a good thing.</p> - -<p>The wives of the same sometimes -have approachable kinsmen who, for a -consideration, are willing to speak -superciliously of the “demagogues” -who assail corporations.</p> - -<p>Then, again, the newspapers—those -busy bees!—can be so trained by -corporation cunning that they will -give us their sting instead of their -honey.</p> - -<p>If Sir Statesman votes with a -serene disregard for Sir Demagogue, -giving the railroads what they want, -Editorial prowess will take care of him. -His praises will resound, until his -sublime head bumps against the stars. -But should he be his own master, -obeying no orders save those of his -conscience, the corporation organs -can so belittle him, slander him, and -manufacture lies about him, that he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_137"></a>[Pg 137]</span> -almost grows ashamed of having been -honest.</p> - -<p>In short, the corporation can make -“a good time” for those who serve it, -and “a bad time” for those who defy -it.</p> - -<p><i>Do not all men know this?</i></p> - -<p>The more necessary any official is -to combined capital, the more they -will do for him, or against him.</p> - -<p>Create any tribunal which becomes -an absolute necessity to the corporations—a -matter of life and death to -them—and they will either tempt it -with bribes which no virtue can resist, -or assail it with intimidations which -no courage can defy.</p> - -<p>Mr. President, have you studied the -history of “The Granger Cases” of -thirty years ago? If not, study it. -Then you will know better how the -corporations control human tribunals -and get rid of laws which are obstacles.</p> - -<p>Have you studied the recent decisions -of the Federal Judges on the -question of fixing “reasonable rates”? -If not, study them.</p> - -<p>You will then know better what a -monkey a railroad lawyer can make -of a Federal Judge.</p> - -<p>To create another tribunal for the -purpose of controlling the railroads, is -simply the building of another house -upon sand.</p> - -<p>The only solution of the Railroad -Problem is national ownership, <i>which -takes away the motive to do wrong</i>.</p> - -<p>In no other way can you cure the -disease.</p> - -<p>Instead of establishing another -Court, or Commission, for the corporations -to play with, assert the -principle of Eminent Domain, assess -the railroads at a fair valuation, pay -for them partly in treasury notes and -partly in twenty-year two per cent. -bonds, place the general management -of the property under the Interior Department—and -<i>then</i> the railroads will -no more think of free passes, rebates -and discriminations than the Post-Office -service does of free stamps, or privileged -patrons who must be enriched -at the expense of the other patrons.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<h3><i>Look at England</i></h3> - -<p><i>Collier’s Weekly</i> thinks that the -United States should pay higher salaries. -Ambassadors do not get enough. -Neither do cabinet officers. The -President also is underpaid. How -lamentable!</p> - -<p>“Look at England,” says <i>Collier’s</i>, -in effect.</p> - -<p>England pays $100,000 to the Lord -Lieutenant of Ireland, $35,000 to the -Speaker of the House of Commons, and -so forth and so on.</p> - -<p>Well, let us accept the invitation, and -<i>look at England</i>.</p> - -<p><i>Who pays the taxes in England?</i> We -know who pays them here. With us -the poor man pays the tax.</p> - -<p>When he covers his nakedness, when -he satisfies his hunger, when he builds -his house, when he buys tools to work -with, he pays an outrageously oppressive -Tariff tax.</p> - -<p>Rockefeller pays no more Federal -tax than is paid by many a one-horse -negro farmer in the South.</p> - -<p>Morgan pays less Federal tax than -many a Western corn-grower who fed -his stove on ear corn in 1891, because -it was cheaper than coal.</p> - -<p>Blessed are our millionaires! Those -of them who are neglected by Congress -are tenderly cared for by the Federal -judiciary.</p> - -<p>Blessed are the rich!—they run the -government, and the common man -pays the bill.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Look at England!</span></p> - -<p>All right, we now look. This is -what we see:</p> - -<p><i>She compels her railway corporations -to pay an Income Tax</i> upon the assessed -valuation of $190,000,000.</p> - -<p><i>She compels the Coal Barons and the -marble quarry owners to pay Income -Tax</i> upon an assessed valuation of -$95,000,000.</p> - -<p><i>She compels the landlords, bankers -and merchant princes to pay Income -Tax</i> upon an assessed valuation of -$900,000,000.</p> - -<p>In this manner <i>she forces her wealthy -classes</i> to pay on property and income -nearly <i>two hundred million dollars annually</i><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_138"></a>[Pg 138]</span> -toward the support of the government!</p> - -<p><i>Her tariff duties are levied exclusively -upon articles which are <span class="smcap">not</span> necessaries -of life.</i></p> - -<p>Not a dollar of Tariff need the poor -man pay to live in perfect comfort.</p> - -<p>This tariff upon the non-necessaries -amounts to $170,000,000.</p> - -<p>From intoxicating liquors the revenue -is $150,000,000.</p> - -<p>Thus it will be seen, by a look at -England, that <i>the poor man can feed -himself, clothe himself, build a house to -live in, and supply it with necessary -furniture without having to pay one -dollar of national tax</i>.</p> - -<p>In this land of the free <i>he must pay -the Tariff tax, or go naked, eat grass, and -live in a hole in the ground</i>.</p> - -<p>But let us “look at England” again.</p> - -<p>We see her operating her Post-Office, -carrying parcels as well as letters. -She does not allow express companies -to amass fortunes by robbing the -people in the carrying of light freight.</p> - -<p>Thus she makes $70,000,000 instead -of letting the corporations make five -times that amount.</p> - -<p>She owns and operates the telegraph -lines, and makes $18,000,000 per year -instead of letting the corporations make -it.</p> - -<p>What, therefore, is the net result of -the “Look at England”?</p> - -<p>We discover that <i>the government -supports itself upon the possessions of -the people rather than upon their necessities</i>.</p> - -<p>Give us the same system of taxation—compel -<i>those who possess the wealth to -pay the</i> expenses of government—and -I, for one, will say, “<i>Make the salaries -what you will so long as you, who make -them, have to pay them</i>.”</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<h3><i>Editorial Comments</i></h3> - -<p><span class="smcap">Notoriously</span>, you cannot convict -a cow-thief when eleven of the jury -got part of the beef. Judge Swayne -owes his escape to similar conditions. -He was acquitted by the United States -Senate not because he was innocent, -but because he was regular. He had -not done anything which the Senatorial -Jury does not constantly do.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>A railroad fell into the Federal Court -of which Swayne happened to be the -presiding judge. Swayne possesses -and controls this railroad through the -medium of a receiver. In law and in -morals Swayne is the trustee of the -property, administering it for the benefit -of the owners—the stockholders. -Had he put his fingers into the cash-drawer -at the ticket office and stolen -five dollars, his crime would have been -clear, indefensible. Proof of such an -act would have compelled a unanimous -verdict of guilty—even in the United -States Senate—for Senators do not do -it that way.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>But Swayne knows how the game is -played, and he played according to rule.</p> - -<p>That is to say, he made use of the -trust funds which were in his possession -and control, to fit himself up a palace -car and stock it with the best eatables -and drinkables. He then took on, as -a retinue of servants, the employees -who were paid to work for the stockholders, -and appropriated car, provisions, -employees and all to his own -private purposes.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>With this luxurious car, upon which -he had spent the trust funds committed -to his care, he took himself and family -on long pleasure trips to his native -place in Delaware. In this rolling -palace he and his family enjoyed a -tour of the West.</p> - -<p>The sum total of the trust funds -which he thus converted to his own use -could not have been less than thousands -of dollars, for the car and its -equipment would have been worth -hundreds of dollars per day had it been -used by its owners, the stockholders.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>These facts were not denied.</p> - -<p>In law and morals, Judge Swayne -misappropriated trust funds.</p> - -<p>He did not go to the cash-drawer at -the ticket office and steal five dollars, -but he took charge of the car, the supplies -and the employees whose services<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_139"></a>[Pg 139]</span> -would have put thousands of dollars -into the cash-drawers, and thus converted -to his own private use the property -which was in his Court for management -and final disposition.</p> - -<p>Here was a plain case of dishonest use -of power and opportunity.</p> - -<p>Here was a plain case of robbery—the -Federal Judge taking that which -belonged to the stockholders and which -should have earned them thousands of -dollars.</p> - -<p>In morals and sound law, the crime -is the same as it would have been had -he embezzled the same sum in dollars -and cents.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The Washington <i>Post</i> argues that -the President should have a salary of -$100,000.</p> - -<p>All right. Let us levy a tax or two -on the rich, and raise the salaries which -the organs of the rich say are too small.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>If the President is discontented with -his pay, why doesn’t he throw up his -job?</p> - -<p>I know several fellows who will take -it at the present price.</p> - -<p>There is W. J. B., for instance.</p> - -<p>I haven’t the faintest doubt that he -would be willing to quit editing <i>The -Commoner</i> and assume Presidential -burdens at $50,000 per year. It would -be easier work, don’t you know, than -making twenty-two speeches a day -for a candidate like Parker, a platform -like that of St. Louis 1904, and a -National Chairman like Tom Taggart—the -gambling-hell man of Indiana.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Governor Folk, of Missouri, was -elected to stop boodling, banish bribery -and otherwise purify the political atmosphere.</p> - -<p>A bill was promptly introduced into -the Legislature to make it possible to -convict and punish bribery.</p> - -<p>The Senate promptly killed the bill.</p> - -<p>Folk is still Governor, however.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Populists throughout the country -regard with demure interest the modest -strides which Kansas is taking in State-Socialism.</p> - -<p>That Republican State is to own and -operate oil refineries to the end that -Rockefeller’s Trust may not swallow -the earth.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Besides the Kansas State refinery, -the Republican legislature favors other -things which are <i>almost</i> new under the -sun.</p> - -<p>No trust, corporation or private -partnership shall be allowed to sell -cheaper in one place than in another in -Kansas—freight being deducted.</p> - -<p>All over that State the price must be -the same.</p> - -<p>Maximum freight rates have been -established, oil pipe lines have been -made common carriers, and the pumping -of Kansas gas out of Kansas forbidden.</p> - -<p>Is it possible that we Populists are to -find ourselves reduced to a state of -mere “eminent respectability” by such -thoroughgoing revolutionists as the -Republicans of Kansas?</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The Washington <i>Post</i> says:</p> - -<p>“After Kansas gets her oil refinery in -operation she may find that Mr. Rockefeller -will not allow his railroads to -carry its product.”</p> - -<p>When Rockefeller refuses to haul -Kansas oil because Kansas operates a -refinery he will probably discover that -Kansas can do a thing or two against -his railroads.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>When Theodore Roosevelt was a -very, very young man, he wrote a -“Life of Gouverneur Morris” in which -the youthful author sweepingly classified -Tom Paine as “a filthy little -atheist.”</p> - -<p>Now that Teddy has grown great -upon the meat which Cæsar fed on, -the University of Pennsylvania has conferred -an Honorary Degree upon him.</p> - -<p>This is the same institution which -conferred an Honorary Degree upon -Tom Paine.</p> - -<p>So there you are.</p> - -<p>To the extent that the University -of Pennsylvania can equalize the -eminence of Teddy and Tom, equality -has been established.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_140"></a>[Pg 140]</span></p> - -<p>So far as the University of Pennsylvania -can link the two names together, -they are linked.</p> - -<p>Whether he likes it or not, Teddy -must promenade down the corridors -of time and fame arm in arm with -the “filthy little atheist.”</p> - -<p>Here is a case where that one of -the Grecian philosophers who laughed -at everything would weep: and where -that one who wept at everything -would laugh.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Tom Paine being dead cannot resent -the honors paid Roosevelt by -any act of renunciation aimed at the -University of Pennsylvania; but Teddy -lives and can defend his virtue from -contaminating contact.</p> - -<p>Will he tamely submit to wear the -Academic honor tainted by the touch -of Tom Paine, or will he spurn it with -that disdain which condensed the -career of a much-enduring, much-achieving -patriot and democrat in -the cruelly scornful words, “a dirty -little atheist”?</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Whenever, in the hour of gloom -and doubt, we call upon the presidents -of our world-famous colleges -for guidance we get it. Which is one -of the reasons why we are still in the -dark.</p> - -<p>A couple of years since, the chief -sage of one of these world-famous -institutions told us that Social Ostracism -was the medicine for the Trust -evil which would prove a cure-all.</p> - -<p>The chief sage neglected to inform -us how and when we should or could -dose the wicked corporations with -this medicine: hence we have not as -yet socially ostracized J. P. Morgan, -Ogden Armour or John D. Rockefeller.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Woodrow Wilson, chief sage of -Princeton University, is the latest -of the academic guides who offers to -pilot us out of the gloom.</p> - -<p>“Trusts,” remarks Woodrow (who, -just between you and me, is something -of a prig), “Trusts can never -be abolished.”</p> - -<p>“<i>We must moralize them.</i>”</p> - -<p>“The thing that keeps water in -stocks is secrecy.”</p> - -<p>“<i>Publicity is the remedy.</i>”</p> - -<p>When we hear the chief sage of -Princeton droning and driveling this -sort of nonsense we wonder whether -his mind is fixed upon the actual men, -methods and standards of today, or -whether he gropes in some Arcadia -of the past.</p> - -<p>“<i>Moralize the Trusts?</i>”</p> - -<p>How will you do it, impractical -prig?</p> - -<p>Mr. Rockefeller is moral, isn’t he? -Goes to church every Sunday, endows -Baptist colleges, sends young -John to teach Sabbath school and -attend English revivals, prates of -morality and the Bible to equal any -Pecksniff that ever stole the livery of -the Lord to shear the sheep in.</p> - -<p>Yet where was there ever a more -ruthless criminal on the face of the -earth than Rockefeller’s Oil Trust?</p> - -<p>“The thing that keeps water in -stocks is secrecy.”</p> - -<p>No, it isn’t, impractical prig.</p> - -<p>It’s water that keeps the water in -the stocks.</p> - -<p>Secrecy has nothing to do with -it.</p> - -<p><i>The public always knows when the -watering is done!</i></p> - -<p>It was so with the Steel Combine; -it has been so with every railroad -reorganization which Morgan has managed; -it was so with Amalgamated -Copper.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>“<i>Publicity is the remedy!</i>” says Woodrow, -the Sage.</p> - -<p>How can that be?</p> - -<p>Does the knowledge that we are -being robbed stop the robbery?</p> - -<p>There is no secrecy about the Beef -Trust. Publicity there has run riot.</p> - -<p>We know all about the Refrigerator -car, the rebate, the discriminations, -the Big Stick methods, the colossal, -un-Godly profits.</p> - -<p>We know how the cattle owner is -robbed when the Trust buys, and how -the consumer of dressed meat is -robbed when he buys.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_141"></a>[Pg 141]</span></p> - -<p>What good does the Publicity do us?</p> - -<p>None at all.</p> - -<p>It makes us rage and rant, but -the Trust gets our money just the -same.</p> - -<p>Have not Lawson and Russell and -Ida Tarbell and Lincoln Steffens and -a dozen others put the flashlight upon -all these monstrous piratical combinations -until the very children are -familiar with the details?</p> - -<p><i>Publicity?</i></p> - -<p>Why, if there is anything that we -have got a lavish supply of, just now, -<i>it is Publicity</i>.</p> - -<p>What we haven’t got is RELIEF.</p> - -<p>If <i>Publicity</i> were a cure for the disease, -we’d have been well long ago.</p> - -<p>As it is, the evil grows worse, day -by day, in spite of all the <i>Publicity</i>.</p> - -<p>Go back to thy gerund-grinding, -Woodrow—thou insufferable, impractical -prig. Among the dead Greeks -and the extinct Romans thy labors -may, haply, be useful; but when thou -comest among the practical men of -today seeking to master actual conditions -and to take part in the great -battle of thought, motive and purpose -which rages around us, thou art but -“a babby, and a gal babby at that.”</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Mr. Bryan says, in his <i>Commoner</i>, -that “the movement begun in 1896 -would have succeeded in 1900 had it -not been for the Spanish War and -the increase of the gold supply.”</p> - -<p>What a superficial view!</p> - -<p>First of all, the “movement” did -not begin in 1896.</p> - -<p>It began when the West and South -were brought together by the Farmers’ -Alliance in 1890. It was in full swing -when it gave General Weaver 1,200,000 -votes in 1892. It was running like a -millrace when it polled 1,800,000 in the -local elections of 1894. It would -have scored a triumph in 1896 had the -Democratic leaders acted honestly with -the Populists.</p> - -<p>After 1896 the “movement” lost -strength every day.</p> - -<p>In 1900 it was doomed to defeat before -the campaign opened.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Yes; the reform “movement” was in -full swing in 1890, and one of the good -things it did was to float into Congress -a promising young lawyer named Bryan.</p> - -<p>To the Populist movement W. J. B. -owes his rise, for there were then no -Democrats to speak of in Nebraska.</p> - -<p>Populist votes carried his home State -for him in 1896, when he ran for President -against McKinley.</p> - -<p>In 1900 Nebraska went Republican, -although the same Bryan was running -against the same McKinley.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>They are hunting, in Paris, for the -bones of John Paul Jones, the first and -greatest sea captain who ever flew the -Stars and Stripes from the masthead of -a battleship, and “held the ocean lists -against the world in mail.”</p> - -<p>Congress gives $35,000 to find the -bones, and of course they will be found—not -those of the original Jones, perhaps, -but a good enough lot of bones -for that amount of money.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Had Gouverneur Morris, the American -Minister to France, done his duty -at the time of Paul Jones’s death, by -giving him a respectable funeral and a -modest tombstone, the people of this -country would not now be taxed $35,000 -to find the hero’s grave.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>When John Paul Jones—old, broken -and poor—lay dying in Paris, our -high-toned Minister to France, Gouverneur -Morris, sat feasting with aristocratic -company, and that high-toned -Minister failed to mark the grave of a -man who with Nelson’s chances might -have done even more than Nelson on -the sea.</p> - -<p>His grave was made in an obscure -churchyard, his resting-place neglected -and forgotten, covered with accumulated -deposits, and built over with -houses.</p> - -<p>Those who seek the bones are sinking -holes seventeen feet deep, in the -search.</p> - -<p>Of course, they will find the body -of Commodore Jones. That is what -they are hunting for. Therefore, they -will find it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_142"></a>[Pg 142]</span></p> - -<p>But whether the dust they bring -back to America will be that of <i>our</i> -Paul Jones no mortal will ever know.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>In his Diary, Gouverneur Morris -relates:</p> - -<p>“A message from Paul Jones that -he is dying.</p> - -<p>“I go thither and make his will.... -Send for a Notary, <i>and leave -him struggling with his enemy</i>.”</p> - -<p>The American Minister to France -left Paul Jones struggling with -death!</p> - -<p>Left him alone with a French -Notary, and went away.</p> - -<p>To do what?</p> - -<p>To “dine with Lord Gower and -Lady Sutherland”!</p> - -<p>The American Minister knew that -Paul Jones was dying, for he says so.</p> - -<p>After the dinner with the English -Lord and Lady, does the American -Minister hasten back to the bedside -of the fellow-countryman whom he -had left “struggling with his enemy”?</p> - -<p>By no means.</p> - -<p>He goes to the Louvre to look -at the paintings; and then takes -Talleyrand’s mistress with him to -Jones’s lodging.</p> - -<p>“But he is dead—<i>not yet cold</i>.”</p> - -<p>And this is all that Gouverneur -Morris’s Diary records of Paul Jones’s -death, until the indignation aroused in -America by his shocking lack of attention -to the dying hero had thrown him -upon the defensive.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Who paid the burial expenses of -Paul Jones?</p> - -<p>A Frenchman claims that he did it.</p> - -<p>Morris, in his Diary, certainly seeks -to make the impression that he paid -them out of Jones’s estate.</p> - -<p>The hero left sufficient property -for the purpose, as can easily be -shown. Further than that we are left -in doubt.</p> - -<p>But Morris was requested to authorize -a public funeral, in which fitting -honors should be paid to the dead. -Morris refused. He states that he -(Morris) desired “a private and economical -funeral.”</p> - -<p>He got it. The funeral was so -economical and so private that neither -the tongue of repute, identifying the -grave from generation to generation, -nor the more unerring evidence of -shaft or vault guides the footsteps -of those who come so late, so late! -to repair the neglect of a hundred -years.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<h3><i>How Private Ownership -Breaks Down</i></h3> - -<p>In the great city of New York there -is a Subway, an underground street, -which was opened at the expense of -the taxpayers. Every dollar of the -enormous expenditure came out of -the pockets of the citizens of New -York. After this Subway had been -completed and paid for by the people, -it was turned over to a private corporation -to be used for private profit. -It is unnecessary to say that such a -stupendous piece of folly could never -have been committed by wise men or -honest men. On the face of it, the -transaction reeks with rascality.</p> - -<p>Let us, however, contemplate actual -results. The men to whom the property -was given operate the Subway -to make all the money that is possible -out of the franchise. In doing so they -have come into collision with their -employees. The disagreement results -in a strike. The experienced -operators of the cars leave them. Inexperienced -men take hold. The -necessary consequence is danger to -life and limb, which only the careless or -reckless would incur.</p> - -<p>The thousands of people in New -York, to whom the Subway is a daily -necessity, are incommoded and injured. -The entire city suffers because -of the dispute between the corporation -and its employees.</p> - -<p>I will not enter into the question as -to who is to blame for the strike. It is -sufficient to say that under private -ownership of this public thoroughfare -the strike does occur and all of its evil -consequences naturally follow. No matter -whether Belmont is right or wrong;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_143"></a>[Pg 143]</span> -no matter whether his employees are -right or wrong, the effect upon the -public is precisely the same. The -public gets hurt. The public suffers -and the public is helpless. Such a -situation is surely sufficient to arouse -thought and investigation.</p> - -<p>Ever since we have allowed private -corporations to take charge of public -utilities we have had the strike, the -riot, the loss of money, the loss of life. -As long as private ownership continues -to exploit these things which belong -to the public, we will continue to have -the strike, the riot, loss of money and -the loss of life.</p> - -<p>I say nothing about the amount of -which the traveling public is robbed -by these corporations which own the -public utilities. I confine myself simply -and solely to this thought, namely, -that under private ownership the situation, -which now confronts the traveling -public of New York City, is liable to -happen at any time and at any place -throughout the Union where public -franchises are used for selfish and -private gain.</p> - -<p>That is the fruit of the tree. It always -has been; it always will be. -That kind of tree will <i>never</i> bear any -other sort of fruit.</p> - -<p>Then why not cut it down?</p> - -<p>Public ownership removes the <i>motive</i> -for misuse of public utilities, and when -the motive goes the evil will go. As -long as selfishness and greed get <i>the -chance</i> to gratify themselves at the -public expense, just so long will they -do it.</p> - -<p>In every conflict between Capital -and Labor the public loses—no matter -whether Capital wins or Labor wins.</p> - -<p>Public ownership would do for the -railroads what it does for the Post-Office, -the Police Department or the -Fire Department. Who ever heard of -a strike among the Post-Office employees? -Or in the police force? Or -among the firemen?</p> - -<p>In Germany the railroads are owned -and operated by the Government, and -nobody ever heard of traffic being -blocked by a strike. In Austria the -story is the same. In Australia it is -the same. In New Zealand it is the -same. Nowhere on earth, so far as I -know, has there ever been a strike -when the principle of government -ownership was in operation. Take -those cities of England where the street -cars are owned and operated by the -city government. Who has ever heard -of a strike on those lines? From Liverpool -to Birmingham and from Birmingham -to Glasgow you will find the -principle of public ownership applied -with perfect success, and nowhere has -the operation of public utilities by the -public been stopped by a strike.</p> - -<p>It seems almost impossible for the -people of our great cities to learn the -lesson taught by our own troubles, and -taught further by the object-lessons -furnished us by nationalities which -are not such cowardly slaves of the -corporations as we seem to be. The -most amazing feature in American life -today is the audacity with which -predatory corporations ride forth, like -the feudal barons of olden times, to -strike down the average citizen and -rob him of what he makes as fast as -he makes it. Individually, we have -plenty of courage, but, collectively, -we are the most cowardly creatures on -earth. The communal spirit seems to -be dead within us. Public opinion is -in its infancy. The strength which -lies dormant within us because of our -numbers seems to be a fact of which -the masses are totally ignorant.</p> - -<p>Acting swiftly, acting with unity -of purpose, acting with the keenest intelligence, -acting with a magnificent -courage, the outlaws of modern commercialism -dash at their object with -superb confidence in their prowess, -and they have seized and ridden away -with the spoils before the drowsy, -ignorant and timid public have awakened -to the fact that they have been -raided, stricken down and plundered.</p> - -<p>If the city government of New York -had at its head a man “with a beard -on his chin,” he could find a way to -solve this Subway problem and all -kindred problems within a few weeks, -and in such a manner that it would -never be presented again. He would<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_144"></a>[Pg 144]</span> -have to be intelligent, he would have -to be honest, he would have to be -brave, but if he had these qualities and -were, besides, a patriot wishing to do -what is best for the entire community, -he could win a victory which would -repeat itself in all the centres of our -population, and which would terminate -the reign of rascality which -now exploits, for personal ends, the -powers and the opportunities of public -office in almost every great city of this -Republic.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>You ask me <i>how</i> could the Mayor do -anything, when the Subway is legally -in the hands of a Commission created -by the Legislature?</p> - -<p>I answer that the city has the right -to use its streets. One of its sovereign -powers, inherent and absolute, is that -of keeping its streets open for the safe -and free use of every citizen. Nobody -has the right to block travel or traffic, -nor can the Legislature grant such a -privilege.</p> - -<p>As to the Subway, it is a street -under the ground. True, the <i>methods</i> -which he would have to employ differ -from those which he would apply to a -surface street, but the <i>principle</i> would -be precisely the same in the one case -as in the other.</p> - -<p>He could say to Belmont and his -employees: “You are blocking the -streets. You are interfering with the -rights of the people who paid for the -Subway and who want to use it. You -and your disputes are as nothing to -me in comparison with the duty which -I owe to the city. <i>Arbitrate your difference</i>, -or I will exert the full sovereign -power of the municipality to -seize the Subway and to open it to -travel.</p> - -<p>“And you needn’t run to any judge -for an injunction, either. In the exercise -of supreme executive authority -policing the city and keeping open its -streets, I shall tolerate no interference -whatever from corporation lawyers or -corporation judges. I give you fair -warning: <i>Arbitrate</i>, and do it quickly—else -the city takes what is hers, and -operates the cars which you have tied -up!”</p> - -<p>Who doubts that a threat like this, -made by the right kind of Mayor, -would bring Belmont to his senses in -a couple of minutes? Arbitrate! Of -course he would arbitrate—quickly -and gladly.</p> - -<p>And the Mayor would have the -enthusiastic support of ninety-nine -men out of every hundred in New -York.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<a name="The_Patriot" id="The_Patriot"> </a> -<h2 class="nobreak"><i>The Patriot</i></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poem"> - <div class="stanza"> - <span class="i0"><span class="bigfont">H</span>IS eyes ashine with ancient memories,</span> - <span class="i2">His blood aglow with subtle racial fire,</span> - <span class="i2">For him are quenched the stirrings of desire.</span> - <span class="i0">The pageant of the world has ceased to please;</span> - <span class="i0">Hushed are the evening songs—the lutes of ease;</span> - <span class="i2">In the war flame, that old ancestral pyre,</span> - <span class="i2">He casts his hopes of home, wife, child or sire;</span> - <span class="i0">Instinct of race, a passion more than these,</span> - <span class="i0">The spirit of his country, holds him thrall;</span> - <span class="i2">In him forgotten heroes, forbears, rise,</span> - <span class="i2">Strengthening his heart to common sacrifice;</span> - <span class="i0">Out of the darkness generations call</span> - <span class="i0">And martyr hosts, that unrecorded fall,</span> - <span class="i2">Salute him from the void with joyful cries.</span> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="right"><span class="smcap">London Daily News.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_145"></a>[Pg 145]</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<a name="The_Atonement_of_Hustler_Joe" id="The_Atonement_of_Hustler_Joe"> </a> -<h2 class="nobreak"><i>The Atonement of Hustler Joe</i></h2></div> - -<p class="center space-above1 space-below1">(COMPLETE NOVELETTE)</p> - -<p class="center space-above1 space-below1">BY ELEANOR H. PORTER</p> - -<h3>PROLOGUE</h3> - -<p class="drop-cap">A TOY horse or a raspberry-tart -is not often responsible for the -loss of a life, but a succession -of toy horses, raspberry-tarts, and -whatever else the heart of a small boy -craved, given in a reckless abandonment -of superfluity, was certainly responsible -for the wilfulness in the character -of Paul Weston; and the wilfulness, -in turn, was responsible for the -quarrel.</p> - -<p>At twenty he was a restless, impulsive, -good-hearted, broad-chested, -strong-limbed young fellow, the adored -of his mother and the pride of his -father. And yet it was over the prostrate -form of this same father that he -now stood—the crack of the revolver -still ringing in his ears, the weapon itself -still clutched in his hand.</p> - -<p>Was the man dead? But a minute -before he had been speaking; now -there was a fast-growing pool of -something dark and horrible on the -floor at his side.</p> - -<p>Paul Weston brushed the back of -his left hand across his eyes and -looked down at the still smoking -revolver. Had his miserable temper -brought him to this? His features -worked convulsively and his eyes -widened in horror. Throwing the revolver -from him to the farthermost -corner of the room, he turned and fled.</p> - -<p>Out the door, through the gate, and -down the long street of the little New -England village he ran. It was dusk, -but he stumbled as though it were the -darkness of midnight.</p> - -<p>The neighbors looked and wondered -at the fleeing figure, but only their -eyes spoke disapproval. If Paul Weston -chose to use the main street of the -village as a race-course, it was not for -them to interfere—they knew him too -well. The town fool alone ventured -to accost him.</p> - -<p>“Hi, there—go it! What’s after -ye?” he shouted; but the jeering -words and the vacant smile died on -his lips at sight of the face Paul turned -upon him.</p> - -<p>Down the street, across the open -field, and over the fence at a bound—surely -the friendly shelter of the woods -receded as he ran! But his pace did -not slacken even in the dense shadows -of the forest. On and on, stumbling, -falling, tearing his flesh and his clothing -on the thorns and brambles until, -exhausted, he dropped on a grassy -mound, miles away from that dread -thing he had left behind him.</p> - -<p>The wind sighed and whispered over -his head. Weston had always loved -the sound, but tonight it was only an -accusing moan in his ears. Even the -stars that peeped through the leaves -above were like menacing eyes seeking -out his hiding-place.</p> - -<p>An owl hooted; Weston raised his -head and held his breath. Then -through the forest came the baying of -a distant hound. The man was on his -feet in an instant. Something tightened -in his throat and his heart-beats -came in slow, suffocating throbs. He -knew that sound! They sought for—murderers -with creatures like that! -With a bound he was away on his wild -race again. Hours later, the gray -dawn and his nearness to a small<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_146"></a>[Pg 146]</span> -village warned him to move more -cautiously.</p> - -<p>All that day he tramped, without -rest, without food, reaching at night -the seaport town that had been his -goal. Skulking through the back -streets he came to a cheap eating-house -down by the wharves.</p> - -<p>The odor of greasily fried meats and -bad coffee floated out the open door, -causing Weston to sniff hungrily. In -a moment he had thrown caution to -the winds, entered the restaurant and -slunk into the nearest seat.</p> - -<p>By his side lay a discarded newspaper. -He reached for it with a shaking -hand, then snatched his fingers -back as though the printed sheet had -scorched them. No, oh, no—he dared -not look at it! His mind’s eye pictured -the headlines, black with horror:</p> - -<p class="center">“MURDER! PARRICIDE! THE<br /> -FIEND STILL AT LARGE!”</p> - -<p>He pushed back his chair and rushed -from the room. An hour later he had -shipped as a sailor on a vessel bound -for San Francisco around Cape Horn.</p> - -<h3>I</h3> - -<p>The cracker-barrels and packing-boxes -that usually served for seats in -Pedler Jim’s store were, strange to say, -unoccupied. Bill Somers, sole representative -of “the boys,” sat cross-legged -on the end of the counter, meditatively -eying a dozen flies that were -buzzing happily around a drop of -molasses nearby. Pedler Jim himself -occupied his customary stool behind -the counter.</p> - -<p>It was ten years now since the little -hunchback pedler first appeared in -Skinner Valley. He came from no -one knew where, driving a battered -and worn horse attached to a yet more -battered and worn pedler’s cart. The -horse had promptly taken advantage -of the stop in the village, and by dying -had made sure of never leaving the -place for the wearisome trail again. -The miners say that the night the old -horse died, its master patted and -stroked the poor dead head until it -was cold and stiff, and that the morning -found him fondling the useless reins -with his shriveled, misshapen fingers.</p> - -<p>The next day he bartered for a tiny -piece of land fronting the main street. -When he had wheeled his old cart into -proper position upon it, he busied -himself some time with a bit of board -and a paint pot, finally producing a -rough sign bearing the single word -“Store.” This creation he nailed with -much satisfaction upon the front of -the dashboard, then sat down on one -of the thills to wait for a customer.</p> - -<p>Perhaps it was the oddity of the -thing; or perhaps there was something -in the deformed little body that appealed -to the strong-limbed, straight-backed -miners; or perhaps it was the -wonderful knowledge of healing herbs -and soothing lotions that Pedler Jim -possessed—perhaps it was a little of all -three. At all events, the new store -prospered amazingly so that in a -year its owner bought more land, -trundled the old cart to the rear, and -erected a small cabin on his lot. This, -in turn, gave place to a good-sized -frame building bearing the imposing -gilt-lettered sign:</p> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">James A. Powers</span>,<br /> -<i>Skinner Valley Emporium</i>.</p> - -<p>The hunchback rolled this high-sounding -title under his tongue with -keen relish, but it was still “the store” -to the boys, and its owner was only -“Pedler Jim.”</p> - -<p>Bill Somers shifted his position on -the end of the counter and poked a -teasing finger at the agitated mass of -wings and legs around the molasses -drop. The storekeeper grinned appreciatively -and broke the silence:</p> - -<p>“Say, who’s yer new man?”</p> - -<p>“Blest if I know.”</p> - -<p>“Well, he’s got a name, hain’t he?”</p> - -<p>“Mebbe he has—then again, mebbe -he hain’t.”</p> - -<p>“But don’t ye call him nothin’?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, we <i>call</i> him ‘Hustler Joe’; but -that ain’t no name to hitch a grocery -bill on to—eh, Jim?”</p> - -<p>The little hunchback slid from his<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_147"></a>[Pg 147]</span> -stool and brought his fist down hard -on the counter.</p> - -<p>“That’s jest the point! He don’t -git much, but what he does git he pays -fur—spot cash. An’ that’s more’n I -can say of some of the rest of ye,” he -added, with a reproachful look.</p> - -<p>Bill laughed and stretched his long -legs.</p> - -<p>“I s’pose, now, that’s a dig at me, -Jim.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t call no names.”</p> - -<p>“I know yer lips didn’t, but yer eyes -did. Say, how much do I owe, anyhow?”</p> - -<p>With manifest alacrity Jim darted -over to the pine box that served for a -desk.</p> - -<p>“There ain’t no hurry, Jim,” drawled -Somers, with a slow smile. “I -wouldn’t put ye out fur nothin’!”</p> - -<p>The storekeeper did not hear. He -was rapidly turning the greasy, well-thumbed -pages of the account-book -before him.</p> - -<p>“It’s jest twenty dollars and fourteen -cents, now, Bill,” he said, his -brown forefinger pausing after a run -down one of the pages. “Ye hain’t -paid nothin’ since Christmas, ye know,” -he added significantly.</p> - -<p>“Well,” sighed Bill, with another -slow smile, “mebbe ’twouldn’t do no -harm if I ponied up a bit!” And he -plunged both hands into his trousers -pockets.</p> - -<p>Pedler Jim smiled and edged nearer, -while Bill drew out a handful of change -and laboriously picked out a dime and -four pennies.</p> - -<p>“There!” he said, slapping the fourteen -cents on the counter, “now it’s -even dollars!”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ll be jiggered!” cried Pedler -Jim, turning his back and walking -over to the window.</p> - -<p>Somers looked after the retreating -figure, and a broad smile lighted up his -round red face. Slipping his hand inside -his coat he pulled out a roll of -greenbacks. In another minute the -fourteen cents lay neatly piled on top -of two ten-dollar bills. The man -hastily slipped into his old position and -coughed meaningly.</p> - -<p>“Ye don’t seem pleased,” he began.</p> - -<p>The hunchback did not stir.</p> - -<p>“Mebbe ye don’t want my money,” -hazarded the miner.</p> - -<p>No answer.</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, I can take it back,” and -Somers shuffled noisily off his seat.</p> - -<p>Pedler Jim wheeled about and came -down the store with his small black -eyes blazing.</p> - -<p>“Jiminy Christmas, man! If you -ain’t enough ter try a saint! I’m -blest if I can git mad at ye, though, fur -all yer pesterin’ ways. Now what in -thunder—” The storekeeper’s jaw -dropped, and his mouth fell open idiotically -as his eyes rested on the greenbacks. -“Well, I’ll be jiggered!” he -murmured again, and clutched the -money in his claw-like fingers.</p> - -<p>At that moment the outer door -opened to admit a tall, broad-shouldered -miner wearing a slouch hat well -over his eyes. In a trice Pedler Jim -was the obsequious merchant behind -the counter.</p> - -<p>The newcomer gave his order in a -low voice and stood motionless while -the hunchback busied himself in filling -it.</p> - -<p>“Anything else?” suggested Jim -wistfully, as he pushed a small package -toward him.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I guess that’ll do for this time,” -returned the man, picking up his purchase -and motioning toward a dollar -bill on the counter.</p> - -<p>Pedler Jim looked up quickly and -something like tenderness came into -his eyes.</p> - -<p>“I—guess you’re from Yankee-land, -stranger; shake, won’t ye?” he said, -thrusting his hand across the counter. -“Gorry! but it’s prime ter see a good -old New Englander among all these -dagos and Dutchmen and the Lord -only knows what else here. Bill an’ -me was gittin’ lonesome—I’m glad ye -come!”</p> - -<p>At Jim’s first words the stranger -had stepped back, but the outstretched -hand had brought him to the counter -again, and he gave the brown fingers -a grip that made the little hunchback<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_148"></a>[Pg 148]</span> -wince with pain. But Pedler Jim’s -welcome was scarcely spoken before -the man had turned and disappeared -through the door.</p> - -<p>“Well, I snum! I should think he -was ‘Hustler Joe’!” murmured Jim. -“If he didn’t even hustle off and leave -his change,” he added, looking helplessly -at the dollar bill on the counter.</p> - -<p>Somers laughed.</p> - -<p>“Hustle!—you’d oughter see him at -the mines! why, that man works like -all possessed. He don’t speak nor look -at a soul of us ’nless he has to. If -there’s a chance ter work extry—he gits -it; an’ he acts abused ’cause he can’t -work every night and Sundays to -boot. Gosh! I can’t understand him,” -finished Bill, with a yawn and a long -stretch.</p> - -<p>“That ain’t ter be wondered at—’tain’t -‘Hustler Bill’ that the boys call -you,” replied Jim, a sly twinkle in his -beady little eyes.</p> - -<p>Somers sprang to his feet and towered -over the hunchback, his fist -raised in pretended wrath.</p> - -<p>“Why don’t ye take a feller yer own -size?” he demanded.</p> - -<p>The hunchback chuckled, dove under -the upraised arm, and skipped around -the room like a boy. An encounter -like this was meat and drink to him, -and the miners good-naturedly saw to -it that he did not go hungry.</p> - -<p>Somers shook his fist at the curious -little creature perched on the farthermost -cracker-barrel and slouched out -the door.</p> - -<h3>II</h3> - -<p>Skinner Valley did not know very -much about Hustler Joe. Six weeks -ago he had appeared at the Candria coal -mine and asked for work. Since that -time he had occupied an old shanty on -the hillside—a shanty so hopeless in its -decrepitude that it had long been -abandoned to bats and owls. Hustler -Joe, however, had accomplished wonders -in the short time he had lived -there.</p> - -<p>It was a popular belief in the town -that the man never slept. Stray -wanderers by the shanty had reported -hearing the sound of the hammer and -saw at all hours of the night. Outside -the shanty loose timbers, tin cans, -rags and refuse had given way to a -spaded, raked and seeded lawn. The -cabin itself, no longer broken-roofed -and windowless, straightened its back -and held up its head as if aware of its -new surroundings.</p> - -<p>This much the villagers could see; -but inside it was still a mystery, for -Hustler Joe did not seem to be hospitably -inclined, and even the children -dared not venture too near the cabin -door.</p> - -<p>It was vaguely known that the man -had come over the mountains from -San Francisco, and with that the most -were content. Keen eyes and ears like -Pedler Jim’s were not common in the -community, and the little hunchback’s -welcome to the man because he came -from “Yankee-land” was not duplicated.</p> - -<p>Hustler Joe had not been in the habit -of frequenting the store. His dollar -bill was in Pedler Jim’s hands a week -before the disturbed storekeeper had -an opportunity of handing back the -change. The miner had forgotten all -about the money and had wandered -into the store simply because each -stick and stone and dish and chair at -home was in its place and there was -absolutely nothing for his nervous -fingers to put in order.</p> - -<p>Joe pushed open the door of the -“emporium,” then halted in evident -indecision. A dozen miners were jabbering -in half as many languages over -by the stove, huddled around it as -though the month were January instead -of June, and the stove full of -needed heat instead of last winter’s -ashes. Bill Somers lolled on the -counter, and Pedler Jim was bowing -and scraping to a well-dressed stranger -whose face Joe could not see.</p> - -<p>The miner had half turned to go -when Pedler Jim’s sharp eyes fell upon -him. In another moment the hunchback -was by his side thrusting some -change into his fingers.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_149"></a>[Pg 149]</span></p> - -<p>“You forgot it, ye know—when ye -bought them nails,” he said hurriedly; -then added, “why don’t ye come in -and set down?”</p> - -<p>For a second Joe hesitated; then he -raised his head with a peculiarly -defiant up-tilting of his chin, and -strolled across the room to an unoccupied -cracker-barrel behind the gesticulating -miners. Pedler Jim went back -to his customer.</p> - -<p>“You won’t find a better smoke -within fifty miles!” he said pompously, -giving the box of cigars on the counter -a suggestive push.</p> - -<p>The well-dressed man gave a disagreeable -laugh.</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s hardly saying very -much, is it?” he questioned.</p> - -<p>At the stranger’s first words Hustler -Joe glanced up sharply. His fingers -twitched and a gray look crept around -the corners of his mouth. The room, -the miners, and Pedler Jim seemed to -fade and change like the dissolving -pictures he used to see when a boy. A -New England village street drifted -across his vision with this well-dressed -stranger in the foreground. -He could even see a yellow-lettered -sign out one of the windows:</p> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">George L. Martin</span>,<br /> -<i>Counselor at Law</i>.</p> - -<p>Then it all faded into nothingness -again—all save the well-dressed -stranger in the tall black hat. In -another minute the jabbering miners, -Bill Somers, and the obsequious hunchback -were in their old places, and -Pedler Jim was saying:</p> - -<p>“Jest try ’em, an’ see fur yerself.”</p> - -<p>“All right, I’ll take you at your -word,” laughed the stranger, picking -out a cigar and leisurely striking a -match. “It’s a pity you can’t have -a few more languages going in here,” -he added, throwing the dead match on -the floor and glancing at the group -around the stove. “I suppose Barrington -employs mostly foreigners in the -mines, eh?”</p> - -<p>The hunchback thrust his brown -fingers through his hair and made a -wry face.</p> - -<p>“Foreigners!” he exclaimed. “I was -born and raised in the state of Maine, -an’ if it wa’n’t fur Bill Somers—he’s -from York State—to talk God’s own -language to me once in awhile, I’d -’a’ gone daft long ago!”</p> - -<p>The stranger chuckled softly.</p> - -<p>“You hav’n’t anyone here at the -works from New England, then, I take -it, eh?” he asked, with studied carelessness.</p> - -<p>A smile crept up from Pedler Jim’s -mouth and looked out of his twinkling -eyes.</p> - -<p>“Well, we have—” he began, then -his eyes suddenly lost their twinkle as -they encountered the despairing appeal -from beneath Hustler Joe’s slouch -hat. “We have—been wishin’ there -would be some,” he finished after the -slightest of hesitations. “We’ve got -everythin’ else under the sun!”</p> - -<p>Bill Somers’s long legs came down -from the counter abruptly.</p> - -<p>“Why, Jim, there’s Hustler Joe—ain’t -he from New England?”</p> - -<p>The hunchback’s little beany eyes -turned upon Somers and looked him -through and through without winking.</p> - -<p>“Hustler Joe came over the mountains -from San Francisco, I have heard,” -he said blandly.</p> - -<p>“Oh, so he did—so he did!” murmured -Somers, and sauntered out the -door.</p> - -<p>The man on the cracker-barrel over -in the corner pulled his hat down over -his eyes and sank back into the shadows.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said the stranger, tossing a -bill and a small white card on the -counter, “put me up a dozen of those -cigars of yours, and there’s my card—if -you happen to know of any New -Englanders coming to these parts, just -let me know at that address, will you? -I’ll make it worth your while.”</p> - -<p>“Very good, sir, very good,” murmured -Pedler Jim, making a neat package -of the cigars. “Thank you, sir,” -he said suavely, holding out the change -and glancing down at the card; “thank -you, Mr.—er—Martin.” And he -bowed him out of the store.</p> - -<p>One by one the miners went away;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_150"></a>[Pg 150]</span> -still the figure on the cracker-barrel -remained motionless. When the last -jabbering foreigner had passed through -the door, Hustler Joe rose and walked -across the room to the pine box where -the storekeeper was bending over his -account-book.</p> - -<p>“See here, little chap,” he began -huskily, “that was a mighty good turn -you did me a bit ago—just how good it -was, I hope to God you’ll never know. -What you did it for is a mystery to me; -but you did it—and that’s enough. I -sha’n’t forget it!”</p> - -<p>Something splashed down in front -of Pedler Jim, then the outer door -slammed. When the hunchback -turned to his accounts again a blot and -a blister disfigured the page before -him.</p> - -<h3>III</h3> - -<p>John Barrington, the principal -owner of the Candria mine, did not -spend much of his time in Skinner -Valley. Still, such time as he did -spend there he intended to be comfortable. -Indeed, the comfort of John -Barrington—and incidentally of those -nearest and dearest to him—was the -one thing in life worth striving for in -the eyes of John Barrington himself, -and to this end all his energies were -bent.</p> - -<p>In pursuance of this physical comfort, -John Barrington had built for his -occasional use a large, richly fitted -house just beyond the unpleasant -smoke and sounds of the town. A -tiny lake and a glorious view had -added so materially to its charms that -the great man’s wife and daughter had -unconsciously fallen into the way of -passing a week now and then through -the summer at The Maples, as it came -to be called in the family—“Skinner -Valley” being a name to which Miss -Ethel’s red lips did not take kindly.</p> - -<p>Mr. Barrington’s factotum-in-chief -at the mines, Mark Hemenway, lived -at the house the year round. He was -a man who took every possible responsibility -from his chief’s shoulders and -was assiduous in respectful attentions -and deferential homage whenever the -ladies graced the place with their presence.</p> - -<p>To Ethel this was of little consequence, -as she paid no more attention -to him than she did to the obsequious -servant behind her chair; but to Mrs. -Barrington he was the one drawback -to complete enjoyment of the place.</p> - -<p>Mark Hemenway was a man of limited -means, but of unlimited ambitions. -Every day saw him more and more indispensable -to his comfort-loving employer, -and every day saw him more -and more determined to attain to his -latest desire—nothing less than the -hand of this same employer’s daughter -in marriage.</p> - -<p>In a vague way Mrs. Barrington was -aware of this, though Hemenway was, -as yet, most circumspect in his actions. -Mrs. Barrington was greatly disturbed, -otherwise she would not have ventured -to remonstrate with her husband that -Sunday afternoon.</p> - -<p>“My dear,” she began timidly, -“isn’t there any other—couldn’t Mr. -Hemenway live somewhere else—rather -than here?”</p> - -<p>Her husband turned in his chair, and -a frown that Mrs. Barrington always -dreaded appeared between his eyebrows.</p> - -<p>“Now, Bess, why can’t you leave -things all comfortable as they are? I -like to have you and Ethel here first -rate, but I don’t see why you think you -must upset things when you stay only -five minutes, so to speak.”</p> - -<p>“I—I don’t mean to upset things, -John, but—I don’t like him!” she finished -in sudden asperity.</p> - -<p>“Like him! My dear, who expected -you to? Nobody supposes he is -one of your palavering, tea-drinking -members of the upper ten! He isn’t -polished, of course.”</p> - -<p>“Polished! He’s polished enough, -in a way, but—I don’t like the metal -to begin with,” laughed Mrs. Barrington, -timidly essaying a joke.</p> - -<p>Her husband’s frown deepened.</p> - -<p>“But, Bess, don’t you see? I must -have him here—it’s easier for me, lots<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_151"></a>[Pg 151]</span> -easier. Why can’t you let things be as -they are, and not bother?” he urged -in the tone of a fretful boy.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Barrington knew the tone, and -she knew, too, the meaning of the nervous -twitching of her husband’s fingers.</p> - -<p>“Well, well, John,” she said, hastily -rising, “I won’t say anything more,” -and the door closed softly behind her.</p> - -<p>As she passed through the hall she -caught a glimpse of Ethel and her -friend starting for a walk, and the -strange unlikeness of the two girls -struck her anew. Just why Ethel -should have chosen Dorothy Fenno -for a week’s visit to The Maples, Mrs. -Barrington could not understand. -Perhaps it would have puzzled Ethel -herself to have given a satisfactory -reason.</p> - -<p>Ethel Barrington had met Dorothy -Fenno the winter before on a committee -connected with a fashionable -charity, and had contrived to keep in -touch with the girl ever since, though -the paths of their daily lives lay wide -apart.</p> - -<p>“She is mixed up with ‘settlement -work’ and ‘relief bands,’ and everything -of that sort,” Ethel had told her -mother; “but she’s wonderfully interesting -and—I like her!” she had finished -almost defiantly.</p> - -<p>The girls leisurely followed a winding -path that skirted the lake and lost -itself in the woods beyond. They had -walked half an hour when they came to -the clearing that commanded the finest -view in the vicinity.</p> - -<p>Ethel dropped wearily to the ground -and, with her chin resting in her hand, -watched her friend curiously.</p> - -<p>“Well, my dear girl, you——”</p> - -<p>“Don’t—don’t speak to me!” interrupted -Dorothy.</p> - -<p>Ethel Barrington bit her lips; then -she laughed softly and continued to -watch the absorbed face of her companion—this -time in the desired -silence. By and bye Dorothy drew a -long breath and turned to her.</p> - -<p>“Isn’t it beautiful!” she murmured -reverently.</p> - -<p>Miss Barrington gave a short laugh -and sat up.</p> - -<p>“Yes, very beautiful, I suppose; but, -do you know, I’ve seen so much I’m -spoiled—absolutely spoiled for a scene -like that? I’d rather look at you—you -are wonderfully refreshing. I -don’t know another girl that would -have snapped me up as you did a -minute ago.”</p> - -<p>“Indeed, I beg your pardon,” began -Dorothy in distress.</p> - -<p>“Don’t!” interrupted her friend, with -a petulant gesture; “you’ll be like all -the rest if you do.”</p> - -<p>“But it was very rude,” insisted -Dorothy earnestly. “A view like this -always seems to me like a glorious -piece of music, and I want everything -quiet as I would if I were hearing a -Beethoven symphony, you know. -That is why I couldn’t bear even the -tones of your voice—but it was rude of -me, very.”</p> - -<p>Ethel sighed, and fell to picking a -daisy to pieces.</p> - -<p>“I used to feel that way, once,” she -said; “I did, really.”</p> - -<p>“I haven’t a doubt of it,” replied -Dorothy, with a smile.</p> - -<p>“But I don’t any more!”—the daisy -was tossed aside.</p> - -<p>“No?”</p> - -<p>“No; I’m like a five-year-old that’s -had too much candy, I suppose. I’ve -seen the Alps and the Rockies, the -Rhine and the St. Lawrence; and -yet, the first time I looked at that -view I felt just as you did. But -now——!”</p> - -<p>“You need something outside yourself -to give zest to your life, my dear,” -said Dorothy, her eyes on the town -below.</p> - -<p>Ethel looked at her narrowly.</p> - -<p>“Now see here, my dear, I love you—and -you know it, but I just can’t -stand any of that settlement talk!”</p> - -<p>“I never said settlement,” laughed -Dorothy, her eyes still on the straggling -cottages.</p> - -<p>“I know, but—well, I just simply -can’t! How in the world you stand -those dismal sounds and sights and—and -smells,” she added, with a grimace, -“I don’t understand.”</p> - -<p>“I suppose the miners live in those<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_152"></a>[Pg 152]</span> -cottages,” mused Dorothy aloud, as -though she had not heard.</p> - -<p>“I suppose so,” acquiesced Ethel -indifferently. “Others live over the -hill in Westmont.”</p> - -<p>“They don’t look as though they’d -be very comfortable,” continued Dorothy -softly.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t know; people like that -don’t mind such things, I fancy.”</p> - -<p>“Did you ever ask them?”</p> - -<p>Ethel looked up in quick suspicion, -but Dorothy’s face was placid.</p> - -<p>“Of course not! How silly!”</p> - -<p>“Suppose you do, sometimes,” suggested -Dorothy, quite as a matter of -course.</p> - -<p>“I thought that was what you were -coming to!” flashed Ethel. “My dear -girl, you have no idea what those -miners are,” she continued in a superior -tone. “In the first place, I -don’t think there is one of them that -understands a word of English, and -I’d be afraid to trust my life anywhere -near them.”</p> - -<p>“But the women and the little children—they -wouldn’t hurt you. Isn’t -there something you could do for them, -dear?” urged Dorothy.</p> - -<p>A rumble of thunder brought the -girls to their feet before Ethel could -reply, and a big storm-cloud coming -rapidly out of the west drove the -whole thing from her mind.</p> - -<p>“Quick—we must run!” she exclaimed. -“We can’t reach home, -but there’s an old shanty just behind -those trees over there. No one lives -in it, but ’twill give us a little shelter, -maybe,” and in another minute the -girls were hurrying down the hill. -Big drops of rain and a sharp gust of -wind quickened their steps to a run.</p> - -<p>Had Ethel not been running with -her head bent to the wind she would -have noticed the changed appearance -of the shanty to which they were -hastening. But as it was, she rushed -blindly forward, up the steps, and -pushed open the door, Dorothy close -by her side. Once across the threshold -she stopped in amazement, while -Dorothy dropped breathlessly into the -nearest chair.</p> - -<h3>IV</h3> - -<p>The tiny room was exquisite in its -orderly neatness. The furniture was of -the plainest, but bore an air of individuality. -On one side was a case -of books, and the mantel above the -fireplace was decorated with quaint -curios and beautiful shells.</p> - -<p>A shadow fell across the floor.</p> - -<p>“A nearer view might the better -satisfy your curiosity, madam,” said a -voice from behind Ethel.</p> - -<p>Ethel turned sharply to find herself -face to face with a man in the rough -garb of a miner. The man’s eyes -looked straight into hers without -flinching.</p> - -<p>“I said that a nearer view might the -better satisfy your curiosity in regard -to my poor possessions,” he repeated.</p> - -<p>“Yours?” she stammered, a look of -repulsion coming into her eyes.</p> - -<p>The look and the shrinking gesture -were not lost on Hustler Joe. His -eyes darkened. His broad shoulders -bent in a mocking bow and his right -hand made a sweeping flourish.</p> - -<p>“Mine, madam; but consider them -yours until the storm is over. I’ll not -intrude”—and he was gone.</p> - -<p>A flare of lightning and a deafening -report made his exit wonderfully -dramatic to Dorothy. The rain was -falling in torrents, too—a fact which -suddenly occurred to Ethel. For a -moment she hesitated; then she sped -through the door, overtook and confronted -the miner.</p> - -<p>“Go back instantly!” she commanded. -“If—if you don’t, I shall -start for home in all this rain!”</p> - -<p>The words were scarcely spoken -before the man had turned and was -hurrying her back to the house. Once -inside there was an uncomfortable -silence. Dorothy came to the rescue.</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid you thought we were -unpardonably rude,” she began pleasantly. -“You see we were caught by -the shower and my friend thought no -one was living here; otherwise, we -would not have so unceremoniously -taken possession.”</p> - -<p>“No, of course not,” murmured Miss<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_153"></a>[Pg 153]</span> -Barrington constrainedly, going over -to the window and looking out at the -swaying trees.</p> - -<p>Hustler Joe made a dissenting gesture.</p> - -<p>“Say no more: you are quite welcome,” -he replied, going over to the -fireplace and touching a match to the -light wood ready placed for a fire. -“It will take the dampness out of the -air, and—of your garments,” he added, -with a furtive glance at the tall figure -in the window.</p> - -<p>“Thank you, you are very kind,” -said Dorothy, drawing nearer. The -movement brought her close to the -mantel, and she picked up one of the -shells. “Did you gather these yourself?” -she asked, wondering at the -light that leaped into his eyes at the -question.</p> - -<p>Ethel, turning round a minute -later, found them talking like old -friends together. She even caught -herself listening breathlessly to a -story he was telling of an Indian arrow -he held in his hand. A sudden glance -in her direction from the man’s dark -eyes sent her back to her old position -with an abruptness that surprised as -well as displeased her.</p> - -<p>The storm was not a long one. The -clouds were already lifting in the west -and the rain was less flood-like in its -descent. Finally the sun peeped out -and flashed for a moment in Ethel’s -eyes.</p> - -<p>Dorothy and their host were over -at the bookcase deep in a discussion of -the respective merits of Scott and -Dickens, when Ethel crossed the room -and came toward them.</p> - -<p>“I think,” she said, with the slightest -of inclinations in Hustler Joe’s -direction, “that the storm is over. We -can go now.”</p> - -<p>“So it is,” said Dorothy; then turning -to the man at her side she held out -a cordial hand. “Thank you very -much. You have been very kind.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, very kind—thank you,” murmured -Ethel, bowing slightly and -turning toward the door. “We shall -have to go home by the road,” she -announced regretfully a moment later, -as she stood outside looking longingly -at the hillside path where the wet -grass sparkled in the sun.</p> - -<p>For a time the two girls walked on -in silence, then Dorothy murmured -softly:</p> - -<p>“Not a word of English—not a -word!”</p> - -<p>Ethel gave a sidelong look from her -lowered lids.</p> - -<p>“Well, I didn’t suppose they could!” -she said petulantly.</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t trust my life near one -of them,” continued Dorothy in the -same low voice.</p> - -<p>Ethel shrugged her shoulders and a -faint pink showed on her forehead.</p> - -<p>“Don’t!” she protested. “How -could you talk with him so?—what -dreadful boots he wore!”</p> - -<p>Dorothy laughed outright.</p> - -<p>“My dear, his boots do not cover -his head. Would you have a man dig -coal in patent-leathers?”</p> - -<p>Ethel made a wry face and was -silent.</p> - -<p>“Seriously, dear,” Dorothy went on, -“he was very interesting to me. His -knowledge of books was most amazing. -What he is doing here I can’t imagine—he’s -no common miner!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, of course not,” laughed Ethel -mockingly. “No doubt he’s a college -president in disguise! But really, I’m -not in the least interested. Let’s talk -of something else.” And she changed -the subject.</p> - -<p>And yet it was Ethel who, at dinner -that night, turned to Mr. Barrington -with the abrupt question:</p> - -<p>“Father, who is living in the old -shanty just beyond the Deerfield -woods?”</p> - -<p>“I’m sure I haven’t the least idea, -my daughter,” replied the man, mildly -indifferent.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps I can assist Miss Barrington -in the matter,” interposed the -smooth voice of Mark Hemenway. -“It has lately been taken in hand by a -curious creature known as ‘Hustler -Joe.’”</p> - -<p>“‘Hustler Joe’?” murmured John -Barrington.</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir, one of the men. A queer,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_154"></a>[Pg 154]</span> -silent sort—the kind that no good comes -of. I’m keeping my eye on him, however.”</p> - -<p>“Indeed,” observed Ethel calmly, -“I thought him quite the gentleman.”</p> - -<p>The effect of her words was like -that of an electric shock around the -table; in fact, Ethel herself felt it to -some extent, for her remark was almost -as much of a surprise to herself as to -the others.</p> - -<p>“Why, my daughter!” murmured -Mrs. Barrington faintly, and even -Dorothy started. There was an ugly -narrowing of Mark Hemenway’s eyes, -but it was John Barrington who spoke.</p> - -<p>“Well, you seem to have the advantage,” -he drawled. “Would you mind -telling where the rest of us could meet—this -gentleman?”</p> - -<p>His daughter laughed and lapsed into -her old bantering tone.</p> - -<h3>V</h3> - -<p>That portion of the Candria mine -known as the “Bonanza” had been on -the black-list of the miners for some -time. It was more than two months -since Henry Rotalick, a fire boss, had -reported that an extra amount of gas -seemed to be collecting in the district. -The mine officials had begun at once to -take the utmost precautions.</p> - -<p>The Bonanza was one of the wealthiest -portions of the mine, but, the coal -being deep and of very fine quality and -the slate being particularly thick, it -necessitated considerable blasting to -get down to the finest parts. Owing to -this and to the growing accumulations -of gases, the miners had for some time -past been repeatedly warned to use -the greatest care.</p> - -<p>On the day after the thunderstorm, -Hustler Joe was passing through this -district when he came upon some -miners drilling holes twelve feet or -more in depth and preparing for an exceptionally -heavy charge.</p> - -<p>“You’d better look out or you’ll -bring the whole thing tumbling about -your ears!” he said, with a sharp glance -at one of the men who seemed much -the worse for liquor.</p> - -<p>A snarl of oaths in various tongues -followed him as he turned his back and -walked away.</p> - -<p>Thirty minutes later every door in -the Bonanza fell with a crash, and -solid walls of masonry three feet through -were torn down as though they were -but barriers of paper, so terrible was -the explosion that shook the earth.</p> - -<p>Hustler Joe was half a mile away. -The shock threw him on his face, and -for a minute he was too dazed to think. -Then he staggered to his feet and rushed -blindly forward straight toward the -place where he thought the explosion -had occurred. At every turn he met -fleeing men, coatless, hatless and crazed -with terror. Suddenly he came face to -face with Bill Somers.</p> - -<p>“Good God, man! Where ye goin’? -Are ye gone clean crazy?” demanded -Bill, clutching Joe’s arm and trying to -turn him about.</p> - -<p>For answer Hustler Joe wrenched -himself free, picked up a half-unconscious -miner and set him on his feet; -then he dashed forward and attempted -to raise a fallen door that had pinned -another miner fast.</p> - -<p>“Jiminy Christmas! Ye ain’t goin’ -ter stay in this hell of a place alone, -anyhow,” muttered Bill, bringing his -broad shoulder and huge strength to -bear on the door. In another moment -the imprisoned man was free and in -broken English was calling on heaven -to reward his rescuers.</p> - -<p>The two men did not falter for an instant, -though all the while the deadly -damp was closing around them. From -gallery to gallery they went, warning, -helping, dragging a comrade into a -possible place of safety, until human -endurance could stand it no longer. -Exhausted, they staggered into a chamber -which the fire damp had not entered.</p> - -<p>“We—we’d better git out—if we’re -goin’ to,” panted Somers weakly.</p> - -<p>Joe was dizzy and faint. For himself -he did not care. He had long ago -given up all thought of escape; but a -sudden vision came to him of the little<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_155"></a>[Pg 155]</span> -blue-eyed woman that he had so often -seen clinging to this man’s arm and -looking fondly into his face.</p> - -<p>“Your wife and babies, Somers—” -murmured Joe, his hand to his head as -he tried to think. “Yes, we must get -out somehow. There’s the fanhouse—we -might try that,” he added, groping -blindly forward.</p> - -<p>The fanhouse, now out of use, stood -at the top of the airshaft heading that -led up through the Deerfield hill from -the mine. And by this way the two -men finally reached the open air, and -there, blinking in the sunshine, they -sank exhausted on the hillside.</p> - -<p>It was some time before Somers -found strength to move, but his companion -was up and away very soon.</p> - -<p>The Candria mine had two openings -about four miles apart, that went by -the names Silver Creek and Beachmont. -The Bonanza section was a -mile and a half from the surface, and -was nearer to the Silver Creek opening -than to the Beachmont. It was to the -former entrance, therefore, that Hustler -Joe turned his steps as soon as he could -stand upon his feet.</p> - -<p>The news of the disaster was before -him. Men running from the mine, -barely escaping with their lives, had -told fearful tales of crawling over the -dead bodies of their companions in -their flight. The story flew from lip -to lip and quickly spread through the -entire town. Mothers, wives, daughters, -sons and sweethearts rushed to -the mine entrances and frantically -sought for news of their dear ones.</p> - -<p>When Hustler Joe reached the -Silver Creek entrance, a bit of a woman -with a tiny babe in her arms darted -from the sobbing multitude and -clutched his arm.</p> - -<p>“Bill—my Bill—did you see him?” -she cried.</p> - -<p>Hustler Joe’s voice shook as it had -not done that day.</p> - -<p>“On Deerfield hill, by the fanhouse—he’s -all right, Mrs. Somers,” -he said huskily; and the little woman -sped with joyful feet back by the way -she had come.</p> - -<p>It was Hustler Joe who was at the -head of the first rescue party that -attempted to enter the mine; but the -deadly gases increased with every -step. First one, then another of the -heroic men succumbed, until the rest -were obliged to stagger back to the -outer air, half carrying, half dragging -their unconscious companions.</p> - -<p>Again and again was this repeated, -until they were forced to abandon all -hope of reaching the entombed miners -from that direction; then hasty preparations -were made to attempt the rescue -from the Beachmont opening. Here, -as at Silver Creek, Hustler Joe was -untiring—directing, helping, encouraging. -The man seemed to work in -almost a frenzy, yet every movement -counted and his hand and head were -steady.</p> - -<p>Slowly, so slowly they worked their -way into the mine, fighting the damp -at every turn. By using canvas -screens to wall the side entrances and -rooms, a direct current of pure air was -forced ahead of the rescuers, and by -night their first load of maimed and -blackened forms was sent back to the -mine entrance to be cared for by -tender hands.</p> - -<p>All night Hustler Joe worked, and it -was his strong arms that oftenest bore -some suffering miner to air and safety. -Once, far down a gallery, he heard a -shrill laugh. A sound so strange -brought the first tingle like fear to his -heart. Another moment and a blackened -form rushed upon him out of the -darkness, angrily brandishing a pickaxe. -Crazed with wandering for hours -in that horrid charnel-house of the -earth’s interior, the miner was ready -to kill even his rescuers. He was -quickly overpowered and his hands -and feet were securely bound; then -on Hustler Joe’s back he made the -journey of a quarter of a mile to the -cars that were waiting to bear him, -and others like him, to the aid so -sadly needed.</p> - -<p>Toward morning Hustler Joe was -accosted by one of the doctors who -had been working at his side half the -night.</p> - -<p>“See here, my man, you’ve done<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_156"></a>[Pg 156]</span> -enough. No human being can stand -this sort of thing forever. I don’t -like the look of your eye—go outside -and get some rest. There are fifty -men now that owe their lives to you -alone. Come—you’d really better -quit, for awhile, at least.”</p> - -<p>“Fifty? Fifty, did you say?” cried -the miner eagerly. Then a look came -into his face that haunted the doctor -for long days after. “Would fifty -count against—one?” he muttered as -if to himself, then fell to work with a -feverishness that laughed at the doctor’s -warning.</p> - -<p>From dusk to dawn, and again from -dawn to dusk, flying ambulances, -hastily improvised from every sort of -vehicle, coursed the streets with their -gruesome burdens. Weeping throngs -surged about the Beachmont entrance -and about the stricken homes of the -dead. Sleepless wives and mothers -waited all night for news of their missing -dear ones, and peeped fearfully -through closed blinds as the dead and -injured were borne through the streets.</p> - -<p>But everywhere the name of Hustler -Joe was breathed in gratitude and -love. Tales of his bravery and of his -rescues were on every lip, and when -the man walked out of the mine that -day, he walked straight into the -hearts of every man, woman and -child of the place.</p> - -<p>His fellow-workmen tried to show -their love and appreciation by going -in a body to his lonely cabin on the -hillside. They found him muttering -half crazily to himself: “Fifty lives -for one—fifty for one!” And on the -table before him he had placed fifty -matches in a row and below them one -other alone.</p> - -<p>They looked at him half fearfully, -wholly pitifully, thinking the past -horror had turned his brain. But he -listened with brilliant eyes and flushed -cheeks to their hearty words of thanks -and seemed strangely eager to hear all -that they had come to say.</p> - -<p>Yet the next morning his eyes were -heavy with misery, and someone said -that the matches lay strewn all over -the floor where an impatient hand had -cast them—all save one, left alone -in the middle of the table.</p> - -<h3>VI</h3> - -<p>On the day of the explosion in the -Candria mine John Barrington sat on -the broad piazza of The Maples reading -his morning paper. Occasionally -he glanced up to admire the charming -picture his daughter and her friend -made playing tennis on the lawn nearby.</p> - -<p>His night’s rest had been good and -his morning’s beefsteak tender; moreover, -a certain paragraph in the newspaper -before him had warmed his heart -and, in prospect, his pocketbook. He -leaned back in his chair and sighed -contentedly.</p> - -<p>After a time he spied Hemenway’s -tall form at the far end of the winding -walk leading to the house. There was -a languid curiosity in his mind as to -why Hemenway was walking so fast; -but when he caught his first glimpse -of his general superintendent’s face, -his head came upright with a jerk, and -he waited in some apprehension for the -man to speak.</p> - -<p>The girls on the lawn heard an exclamation -of dismay from the piazza, -then saw the two men pass rapidly -down the walk and disappear in the -direction of the town. Fifteen minutes -later Jennie Somers, the parlor-maid, -crossed the lawn and approached -Miss Barrington. All her pretty rose -color had fled, and her eyes were wide -and frightened.</p> - -<p>“I beg your pardon—but would you -please let me go to town? There has -been an explosion in the mine, and my -brother—he may be hurt! May I -please go?”</p> - -<p>“An explosion? How terrible! -Yes, yes, child—run right along. Don’t -hurry back if you’re needed there,” -said Miss Barrington. “I hope you’ll -find your brother uninjured,” she -added as the girl hurried away. When -she turned to speak to Dorothy she -found herself alone.</p> - -<p>Miss Fenno appeared a few minutes<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_157"></a>[Pg 157]</span> -later dressed in a short walking-suit.</p> - -<p>“Why, Dorothy!”</p> - -<p>“Has Jennie gone? If you don’t -mind, dear, I’ll go with her. I might -be able to do something,” explained -Dorothy hastily.</p> - -<p>“Mercy!” shuddered Ethel, “how -can you go, dear? They’ll be all -maimed and bleeding! There’ll be -doctors and—and others to do everything -needful. I wouldn’t go—really, -dear.”</p> - -<p>“I know—but there’ll be something -else to do. I might help someone—Jennie, -for instance, if she found her -brother injured. I really want to go—Oh—there -she is!” And Miss Fenno -hurried after Jennie’s swiftly moving -figure.</p> - -<p>Ethel was restless when her friend -had gone. She wandered aimlessly -around the grounds, then went indoors -and began to play a waltz on the piano. -The piece was scarcely half through, -however, before her fingers moved -more and more slowly, finally straying -into a minor wail that ended abruptly -in a discordant crash as the player rose -from the piano-stool.</p> - -<p>Miss Barrington’s next move was to -take the field-glass from the library and -go upstairs to the tower. From there -she could see the village and catch occasional -glimpses of hurrying forms. -She could see the Silver Creek entrance -to the mine, too, and she shuddered -at the crowds her glasses showed -her there. Twice she turned her eyes -away and started down the winding -stairs, but each time she returned to her -old position and gazed in a fascination -quite unaccountable to herself at the -moving figures in the distance.</p> - -<p>By and bye she saw the head-gardener -coming rapidly up the road from -the town. As he entered the driveway -she hurried down the stairs and out into -the kitchen.</p> - -<p>“Were there many injured, Peter?” -she asked anxiously as the man came -into the room.</p> - -<p>“They don’t know yet, ma’am; they -can’t get into the mine. They’re goin’ -to try the Beachmont openin’ now.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps they won’t find things so -bad as they think,” she suggested.</p> - -<p>“Mebbe not; but them that has come -out, ma’am, tell sorry tales of creepin’ -over dead men’s bodies—there ain’t -much hope for the poor fellers inside -now, I’m ’fraid.”</p> - -<p>“Is—is there anything one can do?”</p> - -<p>Peter shook his head.</p> - -<p>“Not much, ma’am. They can’t -get in to get ’em out. The young lady -from the house here has got her hands -full with the women and children. -They are takin’ on awful, of course, but -she kinder calms ’em down—she and -that feller they call Hustler Joe.”</p> - -<p>Miss Barrington turned away. As -she opened the door she stopped -abruptly and looked back into the -kitchen.</p> - -<p>“If they need anything, Peter—anything -at all—come to me at once,” -she said hurriedly, and closed the door -behind her.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was at dinner the next night that -Mr. Barrington said to his general -superintendent:</p> - -<p>“What was the matter with Rotalick -today? I heard you laying down -the law pretty sharp to him this noon.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, he wanted a prima donna, -that’s all.”</p> - -<p>“A what?”</p> - -<p>Hemenway laughed.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I thought so, too. It was simply -this. There isn’t anyone to sing -at the funerals Thursday. The choir -that usually sings at funerals hereabouts -is incapacitated through injuries -to the bass and loss of a husband -to the soprano. Rotalick wanted a -day off to go hunting for singers over in -Westmont.”</p> - -<p>“Humph!” commented Mr. Barrington.</p> - -<p>“I rather think our departed friends -will excuse the lack of music,” laughed -the general superintendent coarsely; -but the laugh ceased at a flash from -Miss Barrington’s eyes.</p> - -<p>“Will you be so kind, Mr. Hemenway, -as to tell the man that I will sing -Thursday?” Once more the electric -shock ran around that table, and once<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_158"></a>[Pg 158]</span> -more Mrs. Barrington murmured -faintly, “Why, my daughter!”</p> - -<p>This time Mark Hemenway rose -promptly to the occasion.</p> - -<p>“How very kind!” he said suavely. -“Indeed, Miss Barrington, one could -almost <i>afford</i> to die for so great an -honor. I will tell Rotalick. The -miners will be overjoyed—they have -bitterly bemoaned the probable lack -of music tomorrow. Funny they -should care so much!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t know—they are human -beings, I suppose,” Miss Barrington -suggested.</p> - -<p>“Yes—of course—certainly—but -then——”</p> - -<p>“You seem troubled to find a solution,” -she remarked, with slightly uplifted -eyebrows; “suppose you give it -up?”</p> - -<p>“Suppose I do,” he acquiesced with -ready grace, glad of the way of escape -she had opened.</p> - -<h3>VII</h3> - -<p>Many of the victims of the explosion -had lived in Westmont, but for -those whose homes had been in Skinner -Valley a succession of funeral services -had been arranged to take place in the -Slovak Catholic Church, the largest -audience-room in the town. It was -here that Miss Barrington had offered -to sing, and as one sad service followed -another in rapid succession the task -she had undertaken was no light one.</p> - -<p>But her heart did not lose its courage -nor her voice its sweetness all through -those long hours. She did grow sick -and faint, though, as the throngs of -weeping women and children filed in -and out of the church, and her voice -trembled and nearly broke when a -young girl fainted and sank to the -floor.</p> - -<p>Hustler Joe had not been known to -step inside a church since he came to -Skinner Valley. On the day of the -funerals he had lapsed into his old -unapproachableness. He left his cabin -early in the morning and joined the -crowds moving toward the church, -but, once there, he lost himself in the -throngs outside instead of entering the -doors.</p> - -<p>Hustler Joe had long since made up -his mind that a church was no place -for him. He had the reverence, born -of a New England boyhood’s training, -for all things sacred, and he had come -to feel that his own presence was an -unpardonable insult to any holy place.</p> - -<p>The windows of the church were -open and the chanting tones of the -priest floated out to his ears. He -imagined himself as one of those still, -silent forms before the chancel, and he -bitterly envied the dead.</p> - -<p>“’Twould have been the easiest way -out of it!” he muttered under his -breath. “By Jove, what a voice!” he -added aloud a moment later as the -priest’s droning gave way to the flute-like -tones of a singer.</p> - -<p>“It’s old Barrington’s daughter—ain’t -she great?” said Bill Somers at -his elbow. The man had been there -several minutes furtively watching for -a chance to speak.</p> - -<p>Hustler Joe did not answer until the -last note quivered into silence. Then -he drew a long breath and turned -around.</p> - -<p>“Barrington’s daughter? What is she -doing here?”</p> - -<p>“Singin’—didn’t ye hear her?”</p> - -<p>“But why? How happens it?” Joe -demanded.</p> - -<p>“Rotalick said she heard how that -the choir couldn’t sing and that the -Slavs and Poles were makin’ a terrible -touse ’cause there wa’n’t no music. -So she jest stepped up as pleasant as -ye please an’ said she’d sing for ’em. -She’s a daisy, an’ as purty as a picture. -Have ye seen her?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” replied Hustler Joe shortly, -moving away.</p> - -<p>Ethel Barrington’s singing won her -many sincere, if humble, admirers that -day, but perhaps no one inside the -building listened quite so hungrily for -every tone that fell from her lips as -did a tall, sad-eyed man who stood -outside—just beneath an open window.</p> - -<p>When the last sombre procession -had moved away from the doors, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_159"></a>[Pg 159]</span> -Miss Barrington herself, white and -faint with weariness, stepped into her -carriage, Hustler Joe left his position -under the window and walked slowly -toward his home.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I’ll go back,” he muttered. -“There’s nothing but hell upon earth -to be gained by running away in this -cowardly fashion. I’ll give myself up -and take the consequences—which will -be hell somewhere else, I suppose,” he -added grimly. “Good God—it can’t -be worse than this!”</p> - -<p>He pushed open his cabin door and -looked about him with troubled eyes. -For the first time he was conscious of -a fondness for the place.</p> - -<p>“I’ll give them to Jim,” he said -aloud, his eyes lingering on the books -and on the shells and curios over the -mantel.</p> - -<p>With feverish haste he began collecting -a few necessaries into a traveling-bag. -It was packed and strapped -when there came a knock at the door. -At so unusual an occurrence Hustler -Joe started guiltily. Then he crossed -the room and threw wide the door.</p> - -<p>The bent form of an old woman with -two frightened eyes peering out from -beneath a worn shawl confronted him.</p> - -<p>“Has he been here?” she whispered, -stepping into the room and glancing -furtively around her.</p> - -<p>“He! Who?”</p> - -<p>“Then he hasn’t, or you’d know it,” -she answered in a relieved tone; but -her expression changed almost instantly, -and her frail form shook with -terror. “But he may come! You -wouldn’t give him up—you’re Hustler -Joe, ain’t ye? They say you’re good -an’ kind. Oh, you wouldn’t give him -up!”</p> - -<p>A strange look came into the miner’s -eyes.</p> - -<p>“No, I wouldn’t give him up,” he -said, after a moment. “But who is he? -And who are you?”</p> - -<p>“I’m his mother, sir. He didn’t -know anyone was livin’ here,” she -apologized, “an’ he sent me a bit of -paper sayin’ he’d meet me here tonight. -Oh, sir, they’d hang him if they -got him! Hang him!” she shuddered.</p> - -<p>Hustler Joe’s lips twitched, then -settled into stern lines.</p> - -<p>“Ye see,” continued the woman, -her voice husky with feeling, “his -daddy was—was one of them that -was killed, an’ my boy came back to -look once more on his poor dead face -today. He said he’d colored his hair -an’ changed his looks so no one would -know him; but oh, they’d hang him—hang -my boy!” she finished in a -frenzy, wringing her hands and swaying -her body from side to side.</p> - -<p>Through the window Hustler Joe -saw the figure of a man moving among -the shadows of the trees near the -house. The miner stepped close to -the old woman and laid a light hand -on her shoulder.</p> - -<p>“Listen! I am going away for an -hour. When I am out of sight, go out -to the trees behind the house and call -your boy in. I shall be gone and shall -know nothing of it—you can trust me. -Do you understand?”</p> - -<p>A heartfelt “God bless you!” rang -in his ears as he left the house and -hurried away.</p> - -<p>When he returned an hour later he -found these words scrawled on a bit -of brown wrapping-paper:</p> - -<p class="blockquot">You treated me white. Thanks. You -don’t know what you saved my mother. It -would have broke her heart if they had -strung me up. Thanks.</p> - -<p>Hustler Joe stared fixedly at the -note long after he had read it; then he -tore the paper into tiny bits and -dropped them into the fireplace. Very -slowly he opened the traveling-bag -and unpacked one by one the articles -therein. When the bag was empty and -the room restored to its spotless order, -he drew a long breath.</p> - -<p>“Yes, ’twould break her heart; she’s -less miserable if I stay where I am,” -he murmured. “Poor dear mother, -she’s suffered enough through me -already!”</p> - -<h3>VIII</h3> - -<p>The days that followed were busy -ones for Ethel. Company made The -Maples gay with fun and laughter; but<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_160"></a>[Pg 160]</span> -Ethel did not drop her newly awakened -interest in the miners. By her earnest -persuasion Miss Fenno had agreed -to lengthen her visit, the need of these -same miners having been held up by -the wary Ethel as good and sufficient -reason for her remaining.</p> - -<p>A maid, laden with the best the -house afforded, always accompanied -Dorothy on her frequent visits to the -town, and sometimes Ethel herself -went. It was after her first trip of -this sort that she burst unceremoniously -into the library.</p> - -<p>“Father, do you do anything for -them?” she demanded breathlessly.</p> - -<p>“My dear, not being aware of the -antecedent of that pronoun, I may not -be able to give a very satisfactory -answer to your question.”</p> - -<p>“What? Oh—sure enough!” laughed -Ethel. “I mean the miners, of course.”</p> - -<p>“Since when—this philanthropic -spirit, my dear?”</p> - -<p>“Do you, father?” persisted Ethel, -ignoring the question.</p> - -<p>“Well,” Mr. Barrington began, putting -the tips of his forefingers together -impressively, “we think we do -considerable. We are not overbearing; -we force no ‘company store’ on them, -but allow that curious little Pedler -Jim full sway. We—However, have -you anything to suggest?” he suddenly -demanded in mild sarcasm.</p> - -<p>Somewhat to his surprise Miss Barrington -did have something to suggest, -and that something was not particularly -to his mind. However, when Miss -Barrington set out to have her own -way she usually had it, even with her -comfort-loving father—perhaps it was -because he was a comfort-loving father -that he always succumbed in the end.</p> - -<p>At all events, the Candria Mining -Company, after the explosion in the -Bonanza section, organized a system of -relief to which they ever after adhered. -The family of each miner killed in the -disaster, or dying from its effects, received -one thousand dollars cash over -and above all medical and burial expenses. -The maimed were dealt with -according to the extent of their -injuries.</p> - -<p>The mine was a great source of -interest to all of Miss Barrington’s -friends, and it was accounted a great -day among them when a party under -careful escort were allowed to “do -the mines,” as they enthusiastically -termed a glimpse of the mine buildings -and a short trip through a few -underground passages.</p> - -<p>Two weeks after the explosion -Ethel, with a merry party of ladies and -gentlemen led by Mark Hemenway, -and duly chaperoned, started for the -Beachmont entrance to the mine. The -general superintendent was in his -element. He explained and exhibited -all through the outer buildings, and -was about to take his charges into the -mine itself when an unavoidable something -intervened and claimed his immediate -attention. It was with evident -reluctance that he therefore -handed his party over to Bill Somers, -who, having proved himself careful -and attentive, had often before been -intrusted with the escort of sightseers -over the mines.</p> - -<p>To Ethel the change was a relief. -A vague unrest had lately assailed her -whenever in Hemenway’s presence -and she had almost unconsciously begun -to avoid him. Her old indifference -to his existence had given way to a -growing realization that there was -such a being, and the realization was -bringing with it an intangible something -not quite pleasant.</p> - -<p>The feminine portion of the party -followed Bill Somers through the -strange underground chambers with -daintily lifted skirts and with many -a shudder and half-smothered shriek. -And though they laughed and chatted -at times, they cast sidelong glances -of mingled curiosity and aversion at -the stalwart forms of the begrimed -miners.</p> - -<p>“Is—is this anywhere near the—accident?” -asked Miss Barrington, -looking behind her fearfully.</p> - -<p>“No, ma’am—oh, no!” reassured -Bill Somers quickly. “The Bonanza -is a long ways off. We don’t go -nowheres near there today, ma’am.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, was there an accident?”<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_161"></a>[Pg 161]</span> -chimed in a pretty girl with rose-pink -cheeks.</p> - -<p>“Sure; this was the mine, wasn’t it?” -interposed a fussy little man with -eyeglasses through which he was peering -right and left with his small, near-sighted -eyes.</p> - -<p>“Tell us about it, please,” begged -three or four voices at once; and Bill -needed no second bidding.</p> - -<p>When they passed Hustler Joe, -Somers pointed him out, and as they -walked on into the next gallery he told -with unconscious power the story of -the heroic rescue of the imprisoned -men. The shifting shadows and twinkling -lights made the telling more impressive, -and the dusky forms flitting -in and out of the mysterious openings -on either side, added a realistic touch to -the tale that sobered the gay crowd -not a little. Their interest in the -earth’s interior waned perceptibly.</p> - -<p>“Are—are we on the way out, -now?” asked the pretty girl, her cheeks -showing white in the gloom.</p> - -<p>“No, ma’am; we’re goin’ in deeper. -Wa’n’t that what ye wanted?” returned -Bill.</p> - -<p>“Yes, of course,” murmured the -girl, without enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>The man with glasses coughed.</p> - -<p>“Really, Miss Barrington, this is -beastly air. It might be well enough -to go back before long.”</p> - -<p>Bill Somers took the hint. He knew -the type to which the fussy little man -belonged. The party turned about, -and the pretty girl’s eyes flashed with a -grateful glance—a glance which the -near-sighted-glassed saw and promptly -appropriated.</p> - -<p>As they repassed Hustler Joe, Ethel -Barrington dropped behind the others -and came close to the miner’s side.</p> - -<p>“I want to thank you myself,” she -said, the crimson staining her cheeks -as she impulsively held out a slim, ungloved -hand. “I want to tell you how -much I appreciate your courage and -bravery at the explosion.”</p> - -<p>The man flushed painfully. As he -reluctantly touched her finger-tips, she -added:</p> - -<p>“You must be so happy to have -saved so many lives. I knew you were -a good man the minute I saw your -face!”</p> - -<p>Hustler Joe grew white to the lips, -dropped her hand rudely and turned -away without a word.</p> - -<p>Hemenway met the party at the entrance -of the mine. He was profuse -in apologies for his enforced absence -and in offerings of further service, but -Miss Barrington dismissed him with a -cool “Thank you; nothing more,” and -led the way to The Maples.</p> - -<p>Miss Barrington was vexed—worse -than that, she was vexed because she -was vexed. Her pulse quickened and -her nostrils dilated as she thought of -Hustler Joe and of the way he had met -her impulsive greeting.</p> - -<p>“The—the rude—boor!” she said to -herself, at loss for words to express -fittingly that to which she was so little -accustomed. A lingering touch or a -gentle pressure was the usual fare of -Miss Barrington’s graciously extended -hand—never this wordless touching of -her finger-tips and hasty, rude release. -“Not that I care,” she thought, -with a disdainful tilt of her head. “But -he might have been decently civil!” -she added, with a scornful smile as -she thought of how differently a score -of pampered youths of her acquaintance -would have received so signal a -mark of favor as she had that afternoon -bestowed on an all too unappreciative -miner.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>When Hustler Joe had left Miss Barrington -so abruptly he had attacked -his work with a fierceness that even -the miners had never seen him show. -“A good man—a good man—‘I knew -you were a good man’!” he muttered -between his teeth. “A ‘good’ man -indeed—bah!” he snarled aloud, wielding -his pick with long, sweeping strokes. -Then he suddenly stood upright. -“Great God—am I not a good man? -Have fifty lives not a feather’s weight?”</p> - -<p>The pick dropped from his relaxed -fingers, and his hands went up to his -head.</p> - -<p>“Ah, no,” he moaned; “father—father—fifty, -a hundred—a thousand<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_162"></a>[Pg 162]</span> -times a hundred could not tip the scale -with your dear, dead self on the other -side!”</p> - -<h3>IX</h3> - -<p>Exciting days came to Skinner -Valley. Gold was discovered far up -the creek. A man furnished with -funds by Mark Hemenway, who long -had expressed faith in the locality, had -“struck it rich,” and the general superintendent -awoke one day to find himself -wealthy.</p> - -<p>The effect of this awakening was -as immediate as it was startling. His -commanding tones took on an added -imperiousness, his clothing a new flashiness, -and his whole demeanor an importance -likely to impress the most -casual of beholders. His veiled attentions -to Miss Barrington gave way to a -devoted homage that was apparent to -all men, and so thick was his armor of -self-conceit that her daily snubs fell -pointless at his feet.</p> - -<p>Miss Barrington had never before -spent so long a time at The Maples, and -Mr. Hemenway’s sudden accession to -wealth resulted, as far as she was concerned, -in hasty preparations to leave. -Her guests were already gone.</p> - -<p>On the day before her intended departure -she started off by herself to -enjoy one more sunset from the clearing -beyond the Deerfield woods, the -place where she and Dorothy were -overtaken by that memorable thunder-shower.</p> - -<p>Mark Hemenway did not confine -himself so strictly to business these -days as had heretofore been his custom, -and he was upstairs in his room when -he spied Miss Barrington’s lithe figure -disappearing in the grove that skirted -the grounds on the west.</p> - -<p>The general superintendent had lately -invested in a tall silk hat, and it was -this impressive bit of headgear that he -donned as he left the house and followed, -at a discreet distance, the form -of the woman he meant to marry.</p> - -<p>Since Hemenway had become rich -this idea of marriage had strengthened -wonderfully. In a certain coarse -way the man was handsome, and -the only class of women with which -he had ever come in contact had -readily welcomed his attentions. He -had supposed the lack of money would -be the only drawback in the eyes of this -his latest love, and now that the lack -no longer existed he was confident of -success.</p> - -<p>Miss Barrington followed the path -very leisurely, picking a flower or a -fern here and there, and softly humming -a tune. Upon reaching the -clearing she settled herself comfortably -under her favorite tree and opened her -book to read. It was then that Hemenway -approached from the shadows -of the path she had just left.</p> - -<p>At the snapping of a dry twig Miss -Barrington glanced up. Her first impulse -was to laugh, so absurd did the -checkered trousers, flaming watch-charm -and silk hat look to her against -the background of the cool green woods. -But the laugh was killed at birth by an -angry objection that the man should -be there at all. Even then she supposed -him to be merely passing by and -that he might stop for a word or two.</p> - -<p>“Ah, good afternoon, Miss Barrington. -What a surprise to find you -here,” fibbed Hemenway, advancing -with easy confidence.</p> - -<p>“Good afternoon, Mr. Hemenway.” -Miss Barrington moved her book suggestively -and lowered her eyes.</p> - -<p>“Charming view you have here!” -said the man.</p> - -<p>No reply.</p> - -<p>“You have an interesting book -there, Miss Barrington?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know—I’m trying to find -out,” replied Miss Barrington, with -calm but ineffectual rudeness.</p> - -<p>“Um—delightful place to read! -Nice day, too.”</p> - -<p>No answer.</p> - -<p>Mr. Hemenway looked down approvingly -at the lowered lids of the -girl’s eyes and, blinded by his vast conceit, -mistook the flush of annoyance -for the blush of maidenly shyness. “I -never did like a girl to fling herself in -my face,” he mused, coming a little -nearer.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_163"></a>[Pg 163]</span></p> - -<p>“Well,” he said aloud, “if you have -no objections, Miss Barrington, I’ll -just stop a bit with you and enjoy this -breeze,” and he cast himself at her feet -in careful imitation of the attitude he -had seen the fussy man with glasses -assume only the week before.</p> - -<p>Miss Barrington was speechless with -indignation. Her first instinct was to -spring to her feet, but the paralysis of -amazement that had struck her dumb -had also rendered her, for the moment, -incapable of motion. A sudden determination -to “teach the man a lesson -and stop once for all this insufferable -persecution”—as her mind expressed -it—followed, and she remained passively -quiet.</p> - -<p>There was an uncomfortable silence -that to any man but Hemenway would -have proved embarrassing.</p> - -<p>“Er—I believe I haven’t told you,” -he finally began, “how kind I thought -it was of you to interest yourself as you -have in the miners.”</p> - -<p>“It is not necessary that you should,” -said Ethel icily.</p> - -<p>“Very becoming modesty!” thought -Hemenway. Aloud he said: “Oh, no, -not necessary, perhaps, but I want to -do it. It is a pleasure to me.”</p> - -<p>“It is not one to me.”</p> - -<p>Hemenway frowned. There was -such a thing as carrying this modesty -too far.</p> - -<p>“Your singing, too—it was delightful!” -he continued smoothly. “And -so kind of you to do it!”</p> - -<p>Miss Barrington turned a leaf of her -book with an unnecessary rustling of -the paper.</p> - -<p>“Feigning indifference,” commented -Hemenway to himself. “I’ve seen ’em -do that before.”</p> - -<p>“You looked so tired that night after -the funerals. I actually worried about -you—you looked sick,” he said next, in -what was meant for tender tones.</p> - -<p>Miss Barrington’s eyes narrowed -ominously as she replied:</p> - -<p>“Mr. Hemenway, my actions and my -looks can have no possible interest -for you. I should be obliged if you -would cease to consider them.”</p> - -<p>To Hemenway’s perverted fancy -this was but a bit of shy bait. He -promptly took advantage of it.</p> - -<p>“On the contrary, I have the very -greatest interest, my dear Miss Barrington—the -very warmest interest. I—I—Miss -Barrington, as you may be -aware, I am a rich man now.”</p> - -<p>“That does not concern me in the -least,” retorted Ethel sharply.</p> - -<p>A strange expression came over -Hemenway’s face. For the first time -a doubt shook his egotistical content. -His eyes grew hard. No maidenly -shyness prompted that speech. Still—possibly -she had not understood.</p> - -<p>“Miss Barrington, it has long been -in my mind to ask you to be my wife. -I love you, and now I am rich I am -confident I can make you——”</p> - -<p>“Stop! I won’t even listen to you!” -Miss Barrington was on her feet, her -eyes blazing.</p> - -<p>Hemenway rose and faced her. All -his polish dropped like a mask, and the -real man looked out from beneath -angrily frowning brows.</p> - -<p>“You won’t listen, my fine lady? -And why not, pray? Ain’t I good -enough to speak to you?”</p> - -<p>“I hate you—I despise you—oh, I -loathe the very sight of you!” shuddered -Ethel, losing all control of herself. -“Now will you leave me in peace—or -must I say more before you quite -understand me?”</p> - -<p>Hate—despise—loathe; these words -Hemenway knew. The delicate shafts -of society sarcasm fell powerless -against his shield of self-conceit, but -these heavier darts struck home and -reached a vital point—his pride. His -face grew livid.</p> - -<p>“Will you go?” repeated Ethel impatiently, -not a quiver of fear in the -scorn of her eyes—“or shall I?” she -added.</p> - -<p>“Neither one!” he retorted insolently.</p> - -<p>For answer Ethel wheeled and took -two steps toward the path. Hemenway -was at her side in an instant with -a clutch on her wrist that hurt her.</p> - -<p>“Coward!” she cried. “Would you -force me to scream for protection?”</p> - -<p>“Do so, if you like—there’s not a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_164"></a>[Pg 164]</span> -house within earshot, and the inhabitants -of this region are not given to -walking for pleasure!” He released -her wrist and stepped again in front of -her.</p> - -<p>The sharp throb of terror that paled -Ethel’s cheek was followed by one of -joy that sent the color back in surging -waves—Hustler Joe’s shanty just behind -those trees! It was after six—he -must be there. If worst came to -worst——!</p> - -<p>“Mr. Hemenway, this is altogether -too theatrical. I ask you again—will -you let me pass?”</p> - -<p>“If you think I am a man to be -loathed and hated and despised with -impunity, young lady, you are much -mistaken. No, I won’t let you pass—you’ll -listen to me. I want none of -your airs!” he finished sourly.</p> - -<p>Ethel’s head bent in a scornful bow.</p> - -<p>“Very well, suppose we walk on, -then,” she said. “I’m tired of standing.” -And she turned about and began -walking in the opposite direction from -the path that led toward home.</p> - -<p>Mark Hemenway was suspicious of -this sudden acquiescence. He hurried -to her side and looked sharply into -her face.</p> - -<p>“None of your tricks, young lady! -I mean business,” he snarled. “If -you ain’t willing to hear what I’ve got -to say by fair means, you shall by -foul!” he added, bringing a small revolver -into view, then slipping it back -into his pocket.</p> - -<p>Ethel was thoroughly frightened. -She thought Hemenway must be mad.</p> - -<p>“I should think you had stepped -out of a dime novel, Mr. Hemenway,” -she began, trying to steady her shaking -lips. “Nobody wins a bride at -the point of a pistol nowadays!” The -trees that hid Hustler Joe’s shanty -from view were very near now.</p> - -<p>“Then you needn’t treat me as if I -was nothing but the dirt under your -feet,” he muttered sullenly, already -regretting his absurd threat of a moment -before.</p> - -<p>Ethel suddenly darted forward and -around the edge of the trees, ran across -the lawn and sprang up the steps of -the shanty. Hemenway was close at -her heels when she flung the door open -with a bang and stood face to face with -Hustler Joe.</p> - -<p>“Will you please take me home?” -she asked, trying to speak as though -she considered it a customary thing -to invade a man’s house and demand -his escort in this unceremonious fashion. -“Mr. Hemenway is—busy and -cannot go,” she added, with a cheerful -assurance due to the presence of the -big-bodied miner at her side.</p> - -<p>Hustler Joe instantly accepted the -part she had given him to play.</p> - -<p>“I shall be glad to be of any service,” -he said respectfully, with ready -tact, but with a sharp glance at -Hemenway.</p> - -<p>The general superintendent bowed -to Miss Barrington with uplifted hat, -then turned and walked away.</p> - -<p>“Please do not ask me any questions,” -said Miss Barrington hurriedly -to Hustler Joe as they left the house. -“You had better take me by the path -through the woods—it is the nearer -way, and will be less embarrassing -than the main road would be for—both -of us. I know you think my -conduct extraordinary, but, believe -me, I had good reason for asking your -escort. You—you always seem to be -around when I need someone!” she -concluded, with an hysterical little -laugh—the tension to which she had -been keyed was beginning to tell on -her.</p> - -<p>“No apology is needed,” demurred -the man gravely. “I think I understand.”</p> - -<p>That walk was a strange one. The -sun had set and the woods were full -of shadows, and of sounds unheard in -the daytime. Ethel was faint and -nervous. The miner was silent. Once -or twice Ethel spoke perfunctorily. -His answers were civil but short. -At the edge of the private grounds the -girl paused.</p> - -<p>“Thank you very much; I shall not -forget your courtesy,” she said, hesitating -a moment, then resolutely -offering her hand.</p> - -<p>It was not the finger-tips the man<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_165"></a>[Pg 165]</span> -touched this time—it was the hand -from nail to wrist; and his clasp quite -hurt her with its fierceness.</p> - -<p>“Miss Barrington, you thought me -a brute the other day when you spoke -so kindly to me, and no wonder. I -can only beg your pardon—your words -cut deep. I am going to the mines -tomorrow—the gold mines, I mean. -I’m glad I had this chance to speak to -you. You were wrong, Miss Barrington—I—I’m -not the good man you -think!” He dropped her hand and -turned away.</p> - -<p>“I—I don’t believe it!” she called -softly, and fled, swift-footed, across -the lawn.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Mark Hemenway did not appear at -The Maples that night. A message -from him received by Mr. Barrington -in the evening said that he had been -suddenly called away on business connected -with his gold mine; that he -would return soon, however, and would -like immediately to make arrangements -whereby he could sever his -connection with the Candria Mining -Company, as his new interests needed -all his attention.</p> - -<p>“Humph!” commented Mr. Barrington. -“I never saw a little money -make such a dam fool of a man as it -has of Hemenway!”</p> - -<p>Ethel’s lips parted, then closed with -sudden determination. Twelve hours -later she left for Dalton without mentioning -to her father her experience -of the day before, and within a week -she had sailed from New York on a -steamer bound for Liverpool.</p> - -<h3>X</h3> - -<p>The discovery of gold had made all -the miners at Skinner Valley restless, -and Hustler Joe was among the first -to take his wages and start for the -promised bonanza.</p> - -<p>Hustler Joe of the coal mines was -still “Hustler Joe” of the gold mines. -The same ceaseless, untiring energy -spurred the man on to constant labor. -The claim he staked out proved to be -the richest in the place and wealth -sought him out and knocked at his -cabin door.</p> - -<p>Strange to say, Hustler Joe was -surprised. He had come to the mines -simply because they promised excitement -and change. He had thought, -too, that possibly they harbored the -peace and forgetfulness for which he so -longed.</p> - -<p>But peace had fled at his approach -and wealth had come unasked. Man-like, -he regarded the unsought with -indifference and gazed only at the -unattainable; whereupon wealth rustled -her golden garments to charm -his ears and flashed her bright beauty -to dazzle his eyes. Still failing to win -his heart, she whispered that she—even -she—was peace in disguise, and -that he had but to embrace her to find -what he sought.</p> - -<p>It was then that Hustler Joe yielded. -In a year he had sold half his claim -for a fabulous sum. The other half he -retained, and leaving it to be developed -under the charge of expert engineers, -he left for Skinner Valley.</p> - -<p>Hustler Joe had never forgotten the -little hunchback pedler, nor the debt -of gratitude he owed him. Many a -time in the old days at the coal mines -he had tried to pay this debt, but -always, in his own estimation, he had -failed. So it was of Pedler Jim that -he first thought when this new power -of wealth came into his hands.</p> - -<p>The news of Hustler Joe’s good luck -had not reached Skinner Valley, and -the man was in the same rough miner’s -garb when he pushed open the familiar -door of the “Emporium” in search of -Pedler Jim.</p> - -<p>“Well, if it ain’t Hustler Joe!” exclaimed -the hunchback delightedly. -“You’re a sight good fur sore eyes. -Come back ter stay?”</p> - -<p>“Well, awhile, maybe. How’s the -world using you these days, Jim?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, fair—fair; ’tain’t quite ’s good -as I’d like—but I ain’t complainin’.”</p> - -<p>“I wonder if anything would make -you complain—I never heard you,” -remarked Joe, helping himself to a -seat on the counter.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_166"></a>[Pg 166]</span></p> - -<p>“Well, now that ye mention it, -mebbe I don’t much—I hain’t no need -to. My appetite’s good an’ my conscience -is clear; an’ a clear conscience -is——”</p> - -<p>“Jim,” interrupted the miner -sharply, “did you ever hear of Aladdin -and his lamp?”</p> - -<p>“Huh? Oh, the feller that rubbed -it an’ got what he wanted?”</p> - -<p>“That’s the chap.”</p> - -<p>“Well—s’posin’ I have?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I only wondered what you’d -ask for if you had one to rub.”</p> - -<p>“Gorry—I wish’t I had!”</p> - -<p>“Well, what would you?” persisted -Joe, his face alight.</p> - -<p>“What would I? Well, I’ll tell ye. -I’d buy the big house on the hill——”</p> - -<p>“What—Barrington’s?” interrupted -Joe.</p> - -<p>“Gee whiz, no! I mean the empty -one that Rotalick lived in; an’ I’d -make it over into a hospital, an’ I’d -add to it as I was able.”</p> - -<p>“A hospital? Why, there is one.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I know—the company’s; but -the boys always have ter quit there -long ’fore they’re able. They can’t -work, an’ if they laze ’round home it -takes furever to git well—what with -the noise an’ the children an’ all. They -crawl down here to the store, an’ my -heart jest aches fur ’em, they’re so -peaked-lookin’. I’d have it all fixed -up with trees an’ posies an’ places -ter set, ye know, where they could -take some comfort while they was -gittin’ well.”</p> - -<p>A moisture came into Joe’s eyes.</p> - -<p>“But how about yourself?” he -asked. “You haven’t rubbed out -anything for yourself, Jim.”</p> - -<p>“Fur me? Gorry—if I jest had that -lamp, you’d see me rubbin’ out somethin’ -fur me, all right. I’ve been wantin’ -ter send home a box ter the old folks—’way -back in Maine, ye know. Jiminy -Christmas, man, there’d be no end ter -the black silk dresses and gold-headed -canes an’ fixin’s an’ fur-belows that I’d -rub out an’ send to ’em!”</p> - -<p>Hustler Joe laughed; then something -came into his throat and choked -the laugh back.</p> - -<p>“But all this isn’t for you, Jim,” he -remonstrated.</p> - -<p>“Huh? Not fur me? Fur heaven’s -sake, man, who is it fur, then?”</p> - -<p>The miner laughed again and slid -off the counter.</p> - -<p>“You’ve got quite a store, Jim. -Ever wish you had more room?” he -asked abruptly.</p> - -<p>Pedler Jim not only nibbled at the -bait, but swallowed it.</p> - -<p>“Well, ye see, I’m goin’ ter have -the place next door when I git money -enough and then I’ll jine ’em together. -That’ll be somethin’ worth while,” he -continued.</p> - -<p>Hustler Joe easily kept him talking -on this fascinating theme a full ten -minutes, then he prepared to take his -leave.</p> - -<p>“Let’s see,” he mused aloud, “you -came from Maine, you say. About -where—the town, I mean?”</p> - -<p>Jim named it.</p> - -<p>“You say the old folks are living -there yet?”</p> - -<p>Jim nodded.</p> - -<p>“Name is Powers, I suppose, same -as yours; maybe you were named for -your father, eh?”</p> - -<p>“No; father’s name was Ebenezer, an’ -mother objected—so it’s ‘Jim’ I am. -Why? Goin’ ter dig up my family tree -by the roots?” asked the little man -whimsically.</p> - -<p>“Not a bit of it!” laughed the miner, -looking strangely embarrassed as he -hurried out the door.</p> - -<p>“Monte Cristo” had been Hustler -Joe’s favorite tale in his boyhood -days. He thought of it now, as he left -the “Emporium,” and the thought -brought a smile to his lips.</p> - -<p>A few days later Pedler Jim was -dumfounded to receive a call from a -Westmont lawyer.</p> - -<p>“Well, my friend,” the man began, -“I have a few little documents here -that demand your attention.”</p> - -<p>Pedler Jim eyed the formidable-looking -papers with some apprehension.</p> - -<p>“Now see here, sir,” he demurred, -“my conscience is perfectly clear. I -don’t want nothin’ to do with sech -devilish-lookin’ things as that!”—his<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_167"></a>[Pg 167]</span> -eyes on the big red seal. “I hain’t -never harmed no one—’tain’t an arres’, -is it?” he added, his voice suddenly -failing him.</p> - -<p>“Well, hardly!” returned the lawyer, -chuckling to himself. “This, my -friend, is the deed, filled out in your -name, to the Rotalick property on the -hill back here; and this,” he continued, -taking up another paper and -paying no attention to the little hunchback, -who had dropped in limp stupefaction -on to a packing-box, “this is -the deed—also made out in your -name—to the building adjoining this -store on the south. Mr. Balch, the -present occupant, has a lease which -expires in two months. After that the -property is at your disposal.”</p> - -<p>“But where in thunder did I git it?” -demanded Pedler Jim.</p> - -<p>“That is not my business, sir,” -said the lawyer, with a bow.</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ll be jiggered!” murmured -the hunchback, gingerly picking up one -of the deeds and peering at it.</p> - -<p>Pedler Jim was still further astounded -to find that to his tiny bank -account had been added a sum so -large that he scarcely believed his eyes. -It was entered under the name “Hospital -Fund.”</p> - -<p>Following close upon all this came -a letter from the folks at home:</p> - -<p class="blockquot"><i>Dear Jimmie</i>: What a good, good son -we have, and how can we ever thank you! -(“Dear Jimmie” looked blank.) The black -silk, so soft and rich, will make up into such -a beautiful gown—much too fine for your -old mother, Jimmie, but I shall be proud of -it. Father is already quite puffed up with -his lovely gold-topped cane. Nellie and -Mary and Tom and John have divided up -the pretty ribbons and books and sweetmeats -to suit themselves, as long as you -didn’t single them out by name. (“No—I’m -blest if I did!” murmured Jim.) We were -proud and pleased to get the box, Jimmie, -both because the things were so beautiful -and because you thought to send them. -(“I’ll be hanged if I did!” muttered the -hunchback, scratching his head in his perplexity.) -Why don’t you come on East -and see us, dear? We wish you would.</p> - -<p>Then followed bits of neighborhood -gossip and family news, ending with -another burst of thanks which left -Pedler Jim helpless with bewilderment.</p> - -<p>It was that night that Somers was -talking in the store.</p> - -<p>“Yes, he’s rich—rich as mud, they -say, an’ I ain’t sorry, neither. There -ain’t anyone I know that I’d as soon -would have a streak o’ luck as Hustler -Joe.”</p> - -<p>Pedler Jim was across the room, but -he heard.</p> - -<p>“Rich! Hustler Joe rich!” he demanded, -springing to his feet.</p> - -<p>“That’s what he is!”</p> - -<p>“Jiminy Christmas!” shouted the -hunchback. “I’ve found him—he was -the lamp himself!”</p> - -<h3>XI</h3> - -<p>It was in Dalton, the nearest large -city to Skinner Valley, that Hustler -Joe began his career as a rich man.</p> - -<p>He built him a house—a house so -rare and costly that people came from -miles around to stare and wonder. -Society not only opened its doors to -him, but reached out persuasive hands -and displayed its most alluring charms. -She demanded but one thing—a new -name: “Hustler Joe” could scarcely -be tolerated in the aristocratic drawing-rooms -of the inner circle! He gave -her “Westbrook,” and thenceforth -“Mr. Joseph Westbrook” was a power -in the city.</p> - -<p>He was petted by maneuvering -mamas, flattered by doting papas, and -beamed upon by aspiring daughters; -yet the firm lips seldom relaxed in a -smile, and his groom told of long night -rides when the master would come -home in the gray of the morning with -his horse covered with mud and foam. -But society cared not. Society loves a -Mystery—if the Mystery be rich.</p> - -<p>When Joseph Westbrook’s mansion -was finished and furnished from cellar -to garret and placed in the hands of a -dignified, black-robed housekeeper at -the head of a corps of servants, and -when his stables were filled with -thoroughbreds and equipped with all -things needful, from a gold-tipped whip -to a liveried coachman, Mr. Joseph -Westbrook himself was as restless and ill<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_168"></a>[Pg 168]</span> -at ease as Hustler Joe had been in the -renovated shanty on the hillside.</p> - -<p>The balls and the dinners—invitations -to which poured in upon him—he -attended in much the same spirit that -Hustler Joe had displayed in loitering -in Pedler Jim’s “Emporium”—anywhere -to get rid of himself. But if the -inner man was the same, the outer certainly -was not; and the well-groomed -gentleman of leisure bore little resemblance -to the miner of a year before.</p> - -<p>On the night of the Charity Ball -Westbrook had been almost rude in -his evasion of various unwelcome advances, -and he now stood in the solitude -for which he had striven, watching -the dancers with sombre eyes. Suddenly -his face lighted up; but the flame -that leaped to his eyes was instantly -quenched by the look of indifference he -threw into his countenance. Coming -toward him was Ethel Barrington, leaning -on the arm of her father.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Westbrook,” said the old gentleman -genially, “my little girl says -she is sure she has seen your face somewhere, -so I have brought her over to -renew old acquaintance.”</p> - -<p>Someone spoke to John Barrington -then, and he turned aside, while Westbrook -found himself once more clasping -a slim firm hand, and looking into -a well-remembered pair of blue eyes.</p> - -<p>“You are——?”</p> - -<p>“Hustler Joe,” he supplied quietly, -his eyes never leaving her face.</p> - -<p>“I knew it!” she exclaimed, her pleasure -frankly shown. “I never could -forget your face,” she added impulsively, -then colored in confusion as she -realized the force of her words.</p> - -<p>But his tactful reply put her immediately -at ease and they were soon -chatting merrily together, closely -watched by many curious eyes. Society -never had seen Mr. Joseph Westbrook -in just this mood before.</p> - -<p>“Father did not recognize you,” said -Ethel, after a time.</p> - -<p>“No; I was introduced to Mr. Barrington -at the Essex Club a week ago. -I hardly thought he would remember -Hustler Joe. You have just returned, -Miss Barrington?”</p> - -<p>“A month ago—from Europe, I -mean; mother is there yet. America -looks wonderfully good to me—I have -been away from it the greater part of -the last two years, you know. When I -came home to Dalton I found the name -of Mr. Joseph Westbrook on every lip. -You seem to be a very important personage, -sir,” she laughed.</p> - -<p>“A little gilding goes a long way, -sometimes,” he replied, with a bitter -smile.</p> - -<p>“But there must have been something -to gild!” she challenged. “Mr. -Westbrook, for the last two weeks I -have been at The Maples—have you -been down to Skinner Valley lately?” -she asked, with peculiar abruptness.</p> - -<p>“Not for some months.”</p> - -<p>“There are some changes in the village.”</p> - -<p>“Yes?”</p> - -<p>“That poor little deformed storekeeper -has bought the Rotalick house -and has turned it into the dearest little -convalescents’ home imaginable.”</p> - -<p>“Is that so?” murmured Westbrook, -meeting Miss Barrington’s gaze with a -face that was innocently noncommittal. -“Pedler Jim always was kind to the -boys.”</p> - -<p>“So it would seem; still—someone -must have helped him in this,” she -suggested, her eyes on his again.</p> - -<p>“Do you think so? Possibly! I am -wondering, Miss Barrington, if we -might not find it cooler over there by -the window. Will you allow me to -escort you?”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps we might,” she smilingly -assented. “Perhaps we could find -some subject of conversation other -than Hustler Joe’s generosity to Pedler -Jim, too—we might try!” She threw -him a merry glance, which he answered -with a shrug of his shoulders.</p> - -<p>“Indeed, Miss Barrington, you quite -overestimate anything I may have had -to do in the matter. It was entirely -Pedler Jim’s idea. How about the -reading-room?” he suddenly asked, -mentioning Miss Barrington’s latest -gift to the miners, “and the kindergarten -class, and the——”</p> - -<p>“Ah—please!” interrupted the girl,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_169"></a>[Pg 169]</span> -with hand upraised in laughing protest. -“I acknowledge myself vanquished -at my own game. I’ll talk -about—the weather, now, if you like,” -she finished dutifully.</p> - -<p>Westbrook laughed, but before he -could reply Miss Barrington was claimed -by a tall young fellow for the next -dance.</p> - -<p>“I wonder,” he mused as he saw -them glide gracefully into the waltz—“I -wonder if dancing belongs to those -things one never forgets. I’ll have -to brush up my old steps—and learn -some new ones,” he added, after a -pause.</p> - -<p>From the night of the Charity Ball -the world appeared in new colors for -Westbrook. He did not stop to question -the cause of all this change. If -wealth were lifting her disguise and -showing a glimpse of peace, he was too -rejoiced to care to ask the reason.</p> - -<p>“I wish you’d come up to the house -some time,” said John Barrington to -Westbrook one evening soon after the -Charity Ball. “I’d like to talk with -you—we can’t make any headway in -this infernal racket!”—the “infernal -racket” in question being the high C’s -and low G’s of some world-famous -singers at a particularly exclusive -musical.</p> - -<p>Westbrook smiled.</p> - -<p>“Thank you; I should be only too -happy.”</p> - -<p>“Then call it tomorrow night—to -dinner. Seven o’clock.”</p> - -<p>“I will—and thank you,” said -Westbrook after a momentary hesitation.</p> - -<p>To his daughter John Barrington -said a little later:</p> - -<p>“Oh, I’ve invited Mr. Westbrook up -to dinner tomorrow night.”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Westbrook!”</p> - -<p>“Why, yes—why not? You seem -surprised.”</p> - -<p>“Gilding does count, doesn’t it, -father dear?”</p> - -<p>“Eh? Gilding? My dear, I don’t -know what you mean. I know he’s -rich as mud—if that’s what you’re -talking about; but he’s got more than -money—he’s got brains. He knows as -much about mines as I do! I like him—he’s -worth a dozen of the youths that -usually flutter about you.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps he is,” laughed Ethel, the -color in her cheeks deepening.</p> - -<p>That was but the first of many visits. -Barrington was urgent, Ethel charmingly -cordial—and Westbrook, nothing -loth.</p> - -<h3>XII</h3> - -<p>“I’m in search of a good lawyer,” -said Westbrook to John Barrington -one day. “Can you recommend one -to me?”</p> - -<p>“Indeed I can. I have in mind the -very man—he’s been doing a little -work for me, and he is very highly -spoken of.”</p> - -<p>“That sounds about O. K. Who is -he?”</p> - -<p>“That’s just the point,” laughed the -older man; “the name’s escaped me. -He’s from the East—hasn’t been here -very long. I’ll tell you what—I’ll -bring him into your office tomorrow. -Will that do?”</p> - -<p>“It will—and thank you.”</p> - -<p>Westbrook’s “office” was something -new. A life of leisure was becoming -wearisome; consequently he invested -in various bits of real estate, opened an -office, put a man in charge, and of late -had himself tended strictly to business, -such time as he could spare from his -social engagements.</p> - -<p>It was into this office that Mr. Barrington -came one morning accompanied -by a short, smooth-faced man -whose garments were irreproachable in -style and cut.</p> - -<p>“Ah, Westbrook,” began Barrington, -“let me introduce Mr. Martin, of -Martin & Gray, the lawyer of whom I -was telling you yesterday.”</p> - -<p>Again the room and all it contained—save -the figure of Martin himself—faded -from Westbrook’s sight, and he -saw the New England street with the -lawyer’s sign in the foreground. The -next moment the vision was gone, and -he had extended a cordial hand.</p> - -<p>“I’m very glad to meet Mr. Martin,”<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_170"></a>[Pg 170]</span> -he said, looking the lawyer straight in -the eye.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Westbrook—delighted, I’m -sure,” murmured the little man suavely; -then, in a puzzled tone, “have I -had the honor of meeting you before, -Mr. Westbrook? There is something -familiar about you.”</p> - -<p>“Is there?” began Westbrook, but -John Barrington interrupted.</p> - -<p>“There, Martin, you’ve hit my case -exactly! He’s puzzled me a thousand -times with a little turn or twist that’s -like someone I’ve seen. Dash it—who -is it?”</p> - -<p>“My features must be cast in a common -mold,” laughed Westbrook, “to -remind so many of one they know.”</p> - -<p>“Um—ah—well—I shouldn’t want -to say quite that!” retorted Barrington. -“Well, gentlemen,” he resumed -after a pause, “I’ll leave you to your -own devices. I’m off—good morning.”</p> - -<p>“Good morning, and thank you,” -replied Westbrook, rising. “I’ve no -doubt Mr. Martin will prove a credit -to your introduction,” he concluded -as he bowed the elder gentleman out. -Then he turned to the lawyer and began -the business at hand.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>In his own room that night Westbrook -carried a small mirror close to -the light and scrutinized himself for -some minutes.</p> - -<p>“H’m,” he mused, “hair rather gray -for a man not yet thirty; still—it looks -less like that of a youth of twenty.”</p> - -<p>He stroked his carefully trimmed -beard meditatively.</p> - -<p>“Hides the telltale mouth and chin -pretty well,” he murmured. “Mr. Joseph -Westbrook can stay where he is -for the present, I think.”</p> - -<p>The next evening Westbrook called -at the Barringtons’. He found Ethel -and Mr. Martin at the piano singing a -duet which they continued at his solicitation. -Then the two musicians -drifted into a discussion of Martin’s -favorite composer, which was like a -foreign language to Westbrook.</p> - -<p>After a half-hour of this the lawyer -took his leave. Westbrook drew a long -breath, but it was caught and stifled -in half completion by Miss Barrington’s -first remark.</p> - -<p>“What a fine voice he has!”</p> - -<p>“Er—yes, very.”</p> - -<p>“And his knowledge of musical matters -is most unusual, too.”</p> - -<p>“That so?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. He says he wanted to make -music his profession, but his parents -objected; so he took up law.”</p> - -<p>“Indeed,” murmured Westbrook -without enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>“Yes, but he talks of musicians as -glibly as though he had read Grove as -much as Blackstone. I haven’t had so -good a time discussing my pet composers -for many a day.”</p> - -<p>Westbrook stirred restlessly, and his -hostess suddenly became aware of the -hopelessly lost look in his eyes. She -promptly changed the subject.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was the very next day that Mr. -Joseph Westbrook appeared in the -leading book-store of the city.</p> - -<p>“I want some lives of musicians,” -he announced.</p> - -<p>“I beg pardon?”</p> - -<p>“Books, I mean—lives of musicians.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, certainly, of course,” apologized -the clerk. “Which ones?”</p> - -<p>“Why—er—the best ones, to be -sure.” Westbrook’s voice faltered at -first, but it vibrated with the courage -of his convictions at the last.</p> - -<p>The clerk suddenly turned his back, -and when Westbrook next saw his face -it was an apoplectic shade of reddish -purple.</p> - -<p>“Certainly, sir. Bach, Beethoven, -Handel, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Mozart, -Chopin——”</p> - -<p>“Yes, yes, put me up one of each,” -interrupted Westbrook hastily; he was -growing suspicious of the clerk. He -left the store with more dignity than -he usually displayed.</p> - -<p>The real estate business would have -suffered in the next few days had it -depended entirely upon Westbrook, for -the greater share of his time was spent -in poring over the recent addition to -his library. At the end of a month he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_171"></a>[Pg 171]</span> -was sadly entangled in a bewildering -maze of fugues, sonatas, concertos and -symphonies, in which the names of -Bach, Beethoven, Haydn, Handel, -Mendelssohn, Mozart and Chopin were -hopelessly lost.</p> - -<h3>XIII</h3> - -<p>Westbrook often met the lawyer -at the Barringtons’ after that first visit. -Martin’s music and Martin’s voice -seemed to be unfailing attractions in -the eyes of Miss Barrington. Westbrook -studied his “lives” assiduously, -but only once did he venture to take -any part in the discussions of composers -which were so frequent between -Miss Barrington and the lawyer. That -once was sufficient to show him how -hopeless was the task he had set for -himself; and ever after he kept a discreet -silence on the subject of music -and all that pertained thereto.</p> - -<p>As the winter passed, Westbrook was -seen more and more frequently in the -company of Miss Barrington. His eye -had lost its gloom and his step had -gained a new springiness. Just why, -Westbrook did not stop to consider. -Indeed, the considering of anything -was what the man most wished to avoid.</p> - -<p>It was on a beautiful morning in -May that he asked Miss Barrington to -drive with him. The air that brushed -his cheek was laden with the fragrance -of green-growing things, and the girl -at his side had never seemed so altogether -lovely. He let the reins loosen -in his hands as he settled back for an -hour of unalloyed enjoyment.</p> - -<p>“I am particularly glad to take this -drive today,” remarked Miss Barrington, -smiling into his eyes, “for, as I -go away tomorrow, I may not have -another opportunity of enjoying one -at present.”</p> - -<p>“What?” demanded Westbrook, suddenly -sitting upright.</p> - -<p>“I merely said I was going away -tomorrow,” she returned merrily, -picking out with intuitive skill that -portion of her remark which had so -startled him. Then something in his -face made her add—“for the summer, -you know.”</p> - -<p>Westbrook pulled the reins taut and -snapped the whip sharply. Going -away! Of course; why not? What of -it? Yes, what of it, indeed! Long -days fraught with sudden emptiness -loomed up before him and stretched -on into weeks devoid of charm. He -understood it all now—and he a felon! -He could hear a girl’s voice saying, -“I knew you were a good man the -minute I saw your face!” Unconsciously -he shrank into the corner of -the carriage, and was only brought to -a realization of his action by a voice—amused, -yet slightly piqued—saying:</p> - -<p>“Really, Mr. Westbrook, I hardly -expected so simple a statement would -render you speechless!”</p> - -<p>“Speechless? No, oh, no—certainly -not! I beg your pardon, I’m sure,” -he said, talking very fast. “You’re -going away, you tell me. It is needless -to assure you that we shall all -miss you very much. Where do you -go, if I may ask—and how long are -you to remain?” And he turned to -her with eyes so full of misery that -she could scarcely believe she had -heard his words aright.</p> - -<p>Before she could answer there came -the wild, irregular clattering of unguided -horses’ feet. Westbrook turned -quickly to see two frightened animals -rushing toward them dragging a swaying -empty carriage. By a swift and -skilful turn he just escaped the collision, -but Ethel Barrington felt the -hot breath of the beasts as they flew -past. In another moment their own -startled horse had dashed after the -runaways with speed scarcely less -than their own.</p> - -<p>Westbrook brought all his great -strength to bear, then—the right rein -snapped. The horse swerved sharply, -throwing the man to his knees. The -next moment he was crawling cautiously, -but rapidly, over the dashboard -on to the thill, then to the back -of the frightened animal, where he -could grasp the dangling broken reins. -One strong pull, and the horse stopped -so suddenly that the man shot over<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_172"></a>[Pg 172]</span> -her head to the ground; but he did not -relax his hold, and the trembling -animal stood conquered.</p> - -<p>Westbrook turned to look into the -shining eyes of the girl, who had leaped -from the carriage and come close to his -side.</p> - -<p>“Oh, that was wonderful! But—my -God! I thought you’d be killed,” -she cried, holding out two trembling -hands, then sinking to the ground and -sobbing out her nervousness and -relief.</p> - -<p>The man looked down at her with -yearningly tender eyes. Involuntarily -he extended his hand as though to -caress the bowed head; but he drew -back shuddering—that hand had forfeited -all right to such a touch. The -look in her eyes had thrilled him to his -finger-tips, but it as quickly stabbed -him with the revelation that not he -alone would suffer.</p> - -<p>“Miss Barrington, don’t, I beg of -you,” he said finally, in a voice that -was stem with self-control. “You are -completely unnerved—and no wonder.” -Then he continued more gently, “But -see—Firefly is quiet now. Will you dare -to drive home behind her if I can -manage somehow to mend the reins?”</p> - -<p>A vivid color flamed into the girl’s -cheeks and she rose unsteadily to her -feet.</p> - -<p>“Yes, indeed,” she asserted, forcing -her trembling lips to speak firmly. -“I am ashamed of myself. I hope you -will pay no attention to my babyishness, -Mr. Westbrook.”</p> - -<p>“You were not babyish, Miss Barrington,” -objected Westbrook gravely; -“on the contrary you were very brave.” -But as he helped her into the carriage -he averted his eyes and refused to meet -her questioning gaze.</p> - -<p>All the way home Ethel Barrington -talked with a nervous volubility quite -unlike herself. Westbrook made an -effort to meet her brilliant sallies with -something like an adequate return, but -after two or three dismal failures he -gave it up and lapsed into a gloomy -silence broken only by an occasional -short reply.</p> - -<p>“I expect my friends will come this -evening to say good-bye—I shall see -you, shall I not?” she asked gaily as -she gave him her hand in alighting at -her own door.</p> - -<p>Before Westbrook fully realized what -the question was, he had murmured, -“Yes, certainly”; but when he drove -away he was muttering, “Fool, what -possible good can it be to you now? -Just suppose she knew you for what -you are?”</p> - -<p>Ethel entered her door and slowly -climbed the stairs to her room.</p> - -<p>“He cares; I know he does!” she -exclaimed under her breath. “But -why—why couldn’t he—?” Then the -conscious red, that was yet half in -pique, flamed into her cheeks and she -shrugged her shoulders disdainfully.</p> - -<p>When Westbrook called that night -she gave him a gracious hand and -looked frankly into his eyes with the -inward determination to “have no -more nonsense”; but her eyelids -quickly fell before his level gaze and -she felt the telltale color burning in -her cheeks. She was relieved when her -father broke the awkward silence.</p> - -<p>“Well, Westbrook, we shall miss -you—we’ve got so we depend upon -seeing you about once in so often. -We shall be in Skinner Valley in -August. You must plan to run down -to The Maples then and make us a -visit. I should like to show you the -mines.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you,” replied Westbrook, -glancing toward the door and, for the -first time in his life, welcoming the -appearance of Martin.</p> - -<p>Martin advanced, smilingly sure of -his welcome, nor did he notice that -Miss Barrington’s greeting was a shade -less cordial than usual. His coming -was the signal for an adjournment to -the music-room, and there Westbrook -sat with clouded eyes and unheeding -ears while the air about him rang with -melody. After a time he was conscious -that the music had stopped and -that Ethel was speaking.</p> - -<p>“I think I never heard of anything -so horrible!” she said.</p> - -<p>From Martin’s next words Westbrook -gathered that they were talking<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_173"></a>[Pg 173]</span> -of a particularly atrocious murder that -had been committed in the city the -night before. Then the girl spoke -again, her voice vibrating with feeling.</p> - -<p>“Oh, but Mr. Martin—only think of -a human being fiendish enough to attack -his own son!”</p> - -<p>Westbrook tried to rouse himself, to -speak, to move; but he seemed bound -by invisible cords. His head was -turned away from the speakers, but he -saw their reflection in the mirror facing -him, and he noticed that the lawyer’s -gaze was fixed across the room upon -himself with a peculiar intentness as -he said:</p> - -<p>“Yes, incredible, I grant, Miss Barrington; -and yet, in a little New England -town of my acquaintance a boy -of twenty shot down his own father -in cold blood at their own fireside.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, don’t, Mr. Martin—the human -fiend!” shuddered Ethel.</p> - -<p>The lawyer’s eyes did not waver; a -strange light was coming into them.</p> - -<p>“A human fiend, indeed,” he repeated -softly, half rising from his chair.</p> - -<p>Something seemed to snap in Westbrook’s -brain, and he forced himself to -his feet.</p> - -<p>“Your music set me to day-dreaming,” -he began, with a smile as he -crossed the room, “and your creepy -murder stories awoke me to a realization -that the sweet sounds had stopped. -Come”—he looked straight into Martin’s -eyes—“some time you may tell -me more of this gruesome tale—I am -interested in studies of human nature. -No doubt you meet with many strange -experiences in your business; but now -I want you to sing ‘Calvary’ for me. -Will you, please? Then I must go.”</p> - -<p>Martin rose to his feet with a puzzled -frown on his face and picked up a -sheet of music from the piano.</p> - -<p>“Thank you,” said Westbrook, when -the song was finished. Then he turned -to Ethel with extended hand. “I hope -you will have a pleasant summer,” he -said in stilted politeness.</p> - -<p>“You are very kind. Shall I wish -you the same?”</p> - -<p>Her voice and her fingers were icy. -Her pride was touched, and she expressed -no hope as to their future meeting, -and certainly Westbrook dared not. -He left the house with a heart that was -bitterly rebellious, and the blackness -outside seemed to him symbolical of -his own despair.</p> - -<p>That night, and for long nights afterward, -he rode over the hills outside the -city. Little by little his life dropped -back into the old rut. All the new -warmth and brightness faded with the -going of Miss Barrington, and he threw -himself into business with a zeal that -quickly brought “Westbrook & Company” -into the front rank and filled -his purse with yet greater wealth—wealth -which he had come to hate, and -for which he had no use.</p> - -<h3>XIV</h3> - -<p>One morning, long after sunrise, -Westbrook entered the outskirts of the -city and allowed his tired beast to slow -to a walk. In one of the poorest streets -of the tenement district he saw a white-faced -woman, a group of half a dozen -puny children and a forlorn heap of -clothing and furniture. He was off his -horse in a moment, and a few kindly -questions brought out the information -that they had been evicted for arrears -in rent amounting to thirty dollars because -the woman had been too ill to -work. He straightway paid the sleek -little agent not only the amount due, -but also a year’s rent in advance and -rode away, followed by a volley of -thanks and blessings from the woman. -He did not know that Martin was the -landlord and that he came out of the -tenement in time to hear the details of -the incident fresh from his agent.</p> - -<p>As Westbrook turned the corner of -the dingy street a curious elation took -possession of him. How the sun shone—how -exhilarating the air was! How -his heart beat in tune with it all! -What was this new joy that seemed -almost to choke and suffocate him? -Was this the shadow of peace at -last?</p> - -<p>He threw the reins to the groom -with so beaming a smile that the man<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_174"></a>[Pg 174]</span> -scratched his head meditatively for a -full half-minute.</p> - -<p>“Faith, an’ what’s got into the master?” -he muttered as he led the horse -to the stable.</p> - -<p>In the days that followed society -was treated to a new sensation—the -Mystery turned into a Philanthropist. -A school, a library and a hospital were -under way in a wonderfully short time. -Did Westbrook hear of anyone wanting -anything—from a toy to a piano -or a dinner to an education—he -promptly bought and presented it. -The result was disastrous. There came -a constant stream of beggars to his -door, varying from those in rags asking -a nickel to bank presidents demanding -a million—for “investment,” of course; -furthermore, he was obliged to hire two -private secretaries to attend to his -mail.</p> - -<p>In August came a cordial note from -Mr. Barrington inviting him to The -Maples for a two weeks’ visit. The -stiffly worded refusal which Westbrook -despatched by return mail threw John -Barrington into a state of puzzled dissatisfaction, -and John Barrington’s -daughter into a feeling of unreasoning -anger against the world in general and -Joseph Westbrook in particular. The -anger was not less when, two months -later, Westbrook called on the Barringtons -just four weeks after they had -come up to their town residence in -Dalton.</p> - -<p>It was not a pleasant call. Westbrook -was stilted, Mr. Barrington -plainly ill at ease, and Ethel the personification -of chill politeness; yet she -became cordiality itself when Martin -appeared a little later. She chatted -and laughed with the lawyer and sent -merry shafts of wit across the room to -Westbrook and her father. But when -Westbrook had gone she lapsed into -bored indifference and monosyllables.</p> - -<p>Mr. Barrington was called from the -room after a time, leaving his daughter -and Martin alone. The lawyer broached -subject after subject with unvarying -ill success, even music itself failing to -awaken more than a passing interest. -At last he said abruptly:</p> - -<p>“Queer chap—that Westbrook!”</p> - -<p>“Queer? Why?” almost snapped -Miss Barrington.</p> - -<p>Martin raised his eyebrows.</p> - -<p>“How can you ask?” he returned. -“You’ve seen him—you know him!”</p> - -<p>Miss Barrington gave the lawyer a -swift glance. Just what did he mean? -Had he noticed the change in Westbrook’s -manner—his indifference—his -coldness? Did he think that she——?</p> - -<p>Miss Barrington laughed softly.</p> - -<p>“Indeed, yes, Mr. Martin, I do know -him—slightly, perhaps; but ‘queer’ is -not the adjective I would have applied -to him.”</p> - -<p>The lawyer leaned forward.</p> - -<p>“Miss Barrington, <i>what</i> do you know -of him? Did it ever occur to you how -very little any of us know of this man?”</p> - -<p>The lady stirred uneasily.</p> - -<p>“Really, Mr. Martin, I know him for -a gentleman, as you do—I might also -add that he is quite a noted philanthropist, -of late,” she added teasingly.</p> - -<p>“‘Philanthropist!’” scorned the lawyer.</p> - -<p>Miss Barrington’s manner instantly -changed.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Westbrook is doing a world of -good with his money; I admire him for -it,” she said with decision.</p> - -<p>“Oh, of course,” returned the man -smoothly. “Still, I wonder why—this -sudden generosity!”</p> - -<p>“Sudden? It’s a long time since I -first heard of Mr. Westbrook’s good -deeds, Mr. Martin,” replied Miss Barrington, -a vision of Pedler Jim and his -hospital rising before her eyes.</p> - -<p>“H’m-m,” murmured the lawyer, -his level gaze on her face, “you knew -him before, perhaps—this man they—er—call -‘Westbrook.’”</p> - -<p>The lady sprang to her feet and -crossed the room to the piano.</p> - -<p>“Oh, fie, Mr. Lawyer!” she laughed -nervously. “I’m no poor victim on -the witness stand. Come—let’s try -this duet.”</p> - -<p>The man followed her and leaned his -elbow on the piano, but he did not -pick up the music nor take his eyes from -her face.</p> - -<p>“You have known him before, then—under<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_175"></a>[Pg 175]</span> -his other name, of course,” he -hazarded.</p> - -<p>A swift red came into Ethel’s -cheeks.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps—perhaps not! I really -do not care to discuss it.” And she -wheeled around upon the piano-stool -and dashed into the prelude of the -duet.</p> - -<p>Martin waited until her hands -glided into the soft ripple of the accompaniment.</p> - -<p>“Then you, of all people, Miss Barrington,” -he began again, “should -know that this philanthropic mummery -is nothing but a salve for his -conscience. Admirable, I’m sure!”</p> - -<p>The music stopped with a crash.</p> - -<p>“What do you mean?” she demanded. -“I don’t know what you -are talking about, with your miserable -innuendoes.”</p> - -<p>Martin’s face paled.</p> - -<p>“Innuendoes!” he burst out, losing -his temper; “then I’ll speak plainly, -since you demand it! Since when, -Miss Barrington, have you made a -practice of shielding—murderers?”</p> - -<p>He regretted the word the instant it -had left his lips, but he forced himself -to meet Miss Barrington’s horrified -gaze unflinchingly.</p> - -<p>“Murderer!” she gasped. “Hustler -Joe was no murderer!”</p> - -<p>At that moment Mr. Barrington re-entered -the room and Martin turned to -him in relief. Five minutes later he -had made his adieus and left the -house.</p> - -<h3>XV</h3> - -<p>Murderer!</p> - -<p>Ethel fled to her room and locked -the door, but the word laughed at bolts -and bars. It looked from the walls and -the pictures and peeped at her from the -pages of the book she tried to read. -She opened the window and gazed up -at the stars, but they, too, knew the -hated word and spelled it out in -twinkling points of light.</p> - -<p>Murderer?</p> - -<p>Ah, no, it could not be—and yet——</p> - -<p>Away back in Ethel’s memory was a -picture of the Deerfield woods that -skirted the lawn at The Maples. She -saw the tall, grave-faced miner and the -imperious girl, and even now the words -rang in her ears—“I’m not the good -man you think, Miss Barrington!” -Half-forgotten tales of “Hustler Joe’s -queerness” came to her, too, and -assumed an appearance of evil.</p> - -<p>And was this to be the explanation -of that ride—that ride on which she -had almost betrayed herself only to be -met by stern words of conventionality? -Was this the meaning of the infrequent -calls, the averted face, the eyes so -misery-laden if by chance they met -her own?</p> - -<p>A murderer?</p> - -<p>Ah, no, no! He was so good—so -kind—so brave! There were Pedler -Jim, the miners whose lives he had -saved, and the multitudes of the city’s -poor to give the lie to so base a charge; -and yet—Martin had said that these -very benefactions were but a lullaby to -a guilty conscience.</p> - -<p>The night brought Ethel no relief. -The dark was peopled with horrid -shapes; and sleep, when it came, was -dream-haunted and unrefreshing. In -the morning, weary and heavy-eyed, -she awoke to a day of restless wandering -from room to room. Twenty-four -hours later her trunk was packed and -she was on her way to The Maples.</p> - -<p>It was at about this time that Westbrook’s -philanthropy took a new turn. -He began to spend long hours in the -city prison while society looked on and -shrugged disdainful shoulders. The -striped-garbed creatures behind the -bars seemed to possess a peculiar -fascination for him. He haunted their -habitation daily, yet he never failed -to shudder at every clang of the iron -doors.</p> - -<p>Particularly was he kind to those -outcasts from human sympathy—the -murderers. So far did he carry this -branch of his charity that the authorities -ventured to remonstrate with the great -man one day, telling him that he was -putting a premium on the horrible -crime. They never forgot the look -that came over the beneficent Mr.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_176"></a>[Pg 176]</span> -Joseph Westbrook’s face as he turned -and walked away.</p> - -<p>It was on that night that the servants -said he sat up until morning in his -library, raging around the room like -some mad creature, so that they were -all afraid, and one came and listened at -the door. There he heard his master -cry out:</p> - -<p>“My God—is it not enough? Is -there no atonement—no peace?” Then -there was a long, quivering sigh, and a -noise as of a clinched hand striking the -desk, and a low muttered, “Oh, the -pitiless God of Justice!”</p> - -<p>In the morning Westbrook left the -house before breakfast and boarded -the eight o’clock train for Skinner -Valley.</p> - -<h3>XVI</h3> - -<p>Westbrook had gone back to Skinner -Valley for a talk with Pedler Joe, -having it in his mind to tell the little -hunchback his life story as that of a -friend of his and so get the benefit -of sound advice without quite -betraying his secret. But the door -opened suddenly and Bill Somers burst -into the store.</p> - -<p>“There’s another blow-up at the -mine!” he gasped thickly. “An’ the -old man’s daughter—she——”</p> - -<p>“What old man’s daughter?” demanded -Westbrook, his lips white.</p> - -<p>“She—Barrington’s girl—is down -there in that hell! She went in with -her friends at two o’clock. They——”</p> - -<p>“Which entrance?” thundered Westbrook, -with his hand on the door.</p> - -<p>“Beachmont! They——”</p> - -<p>Westbrook dashed down the steps -and across the sidewalk, whipped out -his knife and cut loose a horse from -the shafts of a wagon in front of the -store. The next moment he had -mounted the animal and was urging -it into a mad run toward the Beachmont -entrance of the Candria mine.</p> - -<p>Again did he face a crowd of weeping -women and children crazed with -terror; but this time there stood -among them the bowed form of the -great mine-king himself. John Barrington’s -lips were stern and set, and -only his eyes spoke as he grasped -Westbrook’s hand.</p> - -<p>Once more did a band of heroic men -work their way bit by bit into the -mine, fighting the damp at every turn -under Westbrook’s directions.</p> - -<p>Barrington had looked at the preparations -in amazement.</p> - -<p>“How comes it that this Westbrook, -this millionaire, knows the mine so -well?” he stammered.</p> - -<p>A woman standing near—Bill Somers’s -wife—answered him.</p> - -<p>“That’s Hustler Joe, sir,” she said -softly.</p> - -<p>Hustler Joe! John Barrington drew -a deep breath as the memories of the -Bonanza catastrophe came to him.</p> - -<p>“Thank God for Hustler Joe!” he -breathed fervently. “If anyone can -save my little girl, ’tis he!”</p> - -<p>“You’re right, sir—an’ he’ll do it, -too,” returned the little woman, her -eyes full of unshed tears.</p> - -<h3>XVII</h3> - -<p>Slowly, so slowly, the rescuers -worked their way into the mine. One -by one the unconscious forms of the -miners were borne back to fresh air -and safety. But no trace could be -found of Miss Barrington and her band -of sightseers.</p> - -<p>At last, far down a gallery, Westbrook -heard a faint cry. With an answering -shout of reassurance he -dashed ahead of the others and came -face to face with Ethel Barrington.</p> - -<p>“You!” she cried.</p> - -<p>“Yes, yes; you’re not hurt?”</p> - -<p>She shook her head and leaned -heavily against the wall. The reaction -was making her head swim.</p> - -<p>“And your friends?”</p> - -<p>“Here”—she pointed to the ground -almost at her feet. “They’re not hurt—they -fainted.”</p> - -<p>Stalwart miners poured into the -narrow chamber and lifted the prostrate -forms, leaving Westbrook to follow -with Miss Barrington. That young -lady still leaned against the wall.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_177"></a>[Pg 177]</span></p> - -<p>“I—we should be going; can you—let -me help you,” stammered Westbrook.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I can walk,” she laughed -nervously, making a vain attempt to -steady her limbs as she moved slowly -away from her support.</p> - -<p>Westbrook caught her outstretched -hand and passed his disengaged arm -around her waist.</p> - -<p>“Miss Barrington, you’re quite unnerved,” -he said, his voice suddenly -firm. “Pardon me, but you must accept -my assistance.” And he half carried, -half led her down the long gallery, -at the end of which they could hear -the steps and voices of their companions.</p> - -<p>All the misery of the last few days -fled from Ethel’s mind. She was conscious -only of the strength and bravery -and tenderness of the man at her -side. Martin’s hated words became as -phantoms of a past existence.</p> - -<p>“You—you haven’t told me how -you came to be here today, Mr. Westbrook,” -she began again, a little -hysterically. “I thought you were in -Dalton.”</p> - -<p>“I came down this morning,” he -said. Then added softly, “Thank God!”</p> - -<p>Ethel was silent for a moment. -When she spoke again her voice -shook.</p> - -<p>“As usual, Mr. Westbrook—you are -near when I need you! If I am ever -in danger again, I shall promptly look -for you. Now see that you do not -disappoint me!” she added with assumed -playfulness, trying to hide her -depth of feeling.</p> - -<p>They had almost reached the turn -when a distant rumble and vibrating -crash shook the walls about them, -throwing Westbrook and Miss Barrington -to the ground. It was some -time before the man could stagger to -his feet and help his companion to -stand upright.</p> - -<p>“What—what was it?” she gasped.</p> - -<p>Westbrook advanced two steps only -to come sharply against a wall of -earth and timbers.</p> - -<p>“My God—the roof is fallen!” he -cried.</p> - -<p>She came close to his side.</p> - -<p>“Then there was another explosion?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“But they will find us?”</p> - -<p>“That wall may be—” he stopped -abruptly.</p> - -<p>“Many feet in thickness, I know,” -she supplied.</p> - -<p>“And the damp—if it should enter -the gallery from the rear—” his voice -choked into silence.</p> - -<p>“I know—I understand. But—we -are together!” She laid her hand on -his arm.</p> - -<p>He caught the hand and held it in -both his own, then slowly raised it and -laid the soft palm against his lips.</p> - -<p>“Ethel—Ethel—may God forgive -me!” he whispered brokenly.</p> - -<p>She swayed dizzily, and he caught -and held her close.</p> - -<p>“I—I think I am going to faint,” -she murmured. “I——”</p> - -<p>His arms tightened their clasp and -her head drooped until it lay in the -hollow of his shoulder.</p> - -<p>“Ethel, darling—only one little -word! Ah, sweetheart—I’ve loved you -so!”</p> - -<p>She raised her hand and just -touched his cheek with her fingers, -then let her arm fall about his neck. -His head bent low and his lips closed -over hers as she drew a long, quivering -sigh.</p> - -<p>“May God forgive me,” he breathed, -“but ’tis the end—the end!”</p> - -<h3>XVIII</h3> - -<p>When Ethel Barrington regained -consciousness she was in her own bed -at The Maples, but it was a full two -days after that before they let her ask -the questions that so often came to her -lips. It was her father who finally answered -her.</p> - -<p>“Yes, dear, you were unconscious -when the miners found you. Westbrook -could barely speak. Why, -girlie, when that second crash came -and the miners realized that Hustler -Joe—as they insist upon calling that -remarkable man—was himself imprisoned,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_178"></a>[Pg 178]</span> -they swarmed into that mine -like ants and attacked the fallen wall -like madmen! Those that had no -pickaxe clawed at the dirt and stones -with their naked fingers.”</p> - -<p>“And—Mr. Westbrook?”</p> - -<p>“Is all right and has been here every -day to inquire for you and to bring -you these,” replied Mr. Barrington, -with a wave of his hand toward the -sumptuous red roses on the table.</p> - -<p>The girl’s eyes lingered on the flowers -and her cheeks suddenly glowed -with a reflection of their vivid color.</p> - -<p>“He is very kind,” she murmured -as she turned her face away.</p> - -<p>For a week Westbrook and his roses -made daily calls. At the end of that -time it was reported to him that Miss -Barrington was feeling quite like herself. -The next morning Westbrook -did not appear, but his roses came in -charge of a boy together with a note -for Miss Barrington.</p> - -<p>The missive bore no date, no salutation, -but plunged at once into its -message.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>That I should address you at all is an insult, -but my cowardly weakness when we -were last together makes it a greater insult -for me to keep silence now. I have waited -until you were quite recovered before giving -you this, for I know that it will give you -pain—and that it <i>will</i> give you pain is at -once my greatest curse and my greatest joy. -That I should have dared to love you is -despicable, but that I should have allowed -you to give me even one tender thought -in return is dastardly—and yet, nothing in -heaven or hell can take from me the ecstasy -of that one moment when your dear lips -met mine!</p> - -<p>Forgive me—think kindly of me if you -can, for—God help me—I am going away, -never to look on your face again. I was -a boy of twenty when I committed the sin -against God and man that has made my -life a thing of horror. For years I have -sought for peace; adventure, work, wealth, -philanthropy—each alike has failed to bring -it. I am going now to my boyhood’s home -to receive my just punishment.</p> - -<p>Ah, Ethel, Ethel, my lost love—what can -I say to you? I have but words—words—empty -words! I can see the horror in your -dear eyes. I am not worthy of even the -thought of you, and yet, my darling, oh, -my darling, were it not for this dread shadow -on my life, I swear I would win you for -my darling in very truth!</p> - -<p>But now—God help me—farewell!</p> - -</div> - -<p>There was no name signed, but this -Ethel did not notice until she had read -the note three times with her tear-dimmed -eyes; then she whispered:</p> - -<p>“Poor fellow! He could not sign -‘Westbrook’ and he would not sign—the -other.”</p> - -<p>Much to John Barrington’s amazement, -his daughter insisted upon going -to town on the noon train that day. -In response to his persistent objections -she assured him that she felt -“perfectly well and quite equal to a -journey around the world, if necessary.”</p> - -<p>At four o’clock Lawyer Martin was -surprised by an urgent note summoning -him to the Barringtons’ Dalton residence -on Howard Avenue. Half an -hour afterward he was ushered into -the presence of Miss Barrington herself.</p> - -<p>The interview was short, sharp and -straight to the point. A few hours -later Miss Barrington and her maid -boarded the eight o’clock express for -the East.</p> - -<h3>XIX</h3> - -<p>Twenty-four hours passed after -Westbrook had sent his letter to Miss -Barrington before he could so arrange -his affairs as to start for the little New -England village of his boyhood. All -day and all night he had worked with -feverish haste, and the time had flown -on wings of the wind; now, when he -was at last on the morning “Limited,” -the hours seemed to drag as though -weighted with lead.</p> - -<p>He could see it all—the proud new -name he had made for himself dragged -low in the dust. He knew just how society -would wonder and surmise; just -how the maneuvering mamas would -shake their skirts in virtuous indignation -and how the doting papas would -nod their heads in congratulation over -a miraculous escape.</p> - -<p>He knew how the poor and friendless -in the great city would first deny -the charge, then weep over the truth. -He knew, too, the look that would -come to the faces of the miners, and he -winced at even the thought of this—Hustler<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_179"></a>[Pg 179]</span> -Joe had prized his place in the -hearts of his miner friends.</p> - -<p>There was one on whom he dared not -let his thoughts rest for a moment; yet -it was that one’s face which seemed -ever before his eyes, and it was that -one’s voice which constantly rang in -his ears.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Again the sun had set and it was -twilight in the little New England village. -The street had not changed -much—the houses were grayer and the -trees taller, perhaps.</p> - -<p>As he neared the familiar gate, he -saw in the window the face of a silver-haired -woman. Was that his mother—his -dearly beloved mother of long ago? -She turned her head and he was answered.</p> - -<p>After all, would it not be better to -pass on and away again, rather than -to bow that gray head once more in -grief and shame?</p> - -<p>His steps lagged and he almost -passed the gate. Then he drew a long -breath, turned sharply, strode up the -path and pulled the bell.</p> - -<p>The sweet-faced woman opened the -door. The man’s dry lips parted, but -no sound came, for from an inner room -advanced Ethel Barrington with a -gray-haired man whose kindly face -wore a strangely familiar smile.</p> - -<p>“What is it, wife? Is it—Paul?” he -asked in tremulous tones.</p> - -<h3>EPILOGUE</h3> - -<p>It was long hours afterward that -Paul Joseph Weston sat with Ethel -alone in the library.</p> - -<p>“But yourself, dear—you have not -told me yet how you came to be here,” -he said.</p> - -<p>She laughed softly.</p> - -<p>“Rash boy! Was there not need of -someone’s preparing your father and -mother for so wonderful a home-coming? -I found out by judicious inquiry -that you had not yet left the city, so I -knew, when I took the train, that I -had at least a few hours’ start of -you.”</p> - -<p>“But how—what—how could you, -dear? Surely I didn’t tell——”</p> - -<p>Again she laughed, but this time she -dimpled into a rosy blush.</p> - -<p>“When your very disquieting letter -came, sir, I remembered something Mr. -Martin had once said to me. I went -to town, sent for Mr. Martin and insisted -upon his telling me all that he -knew of—your youth.”</p> - -<p>“And that was?”</p> - -<p>“That he believed you to be Paul -Weston, who had quarreled with his -father and run away after apparently -killing the poor gentleman. Mr. Martin -said that the father did not die, -but slowly recovered from his wound -and made every possible effort to find -his son, even sending Martin himself -to seek for him. Once Martin traced -the boy to a mining camp, but there -he lost the trail and never regained it -until he thought he saw Paul Weston’s -features in Joseph Westbrook’s face.”</p> - -<p>“Ethel, what did Martin first tell -you of me that caused you to go to him -for aid?”</p> - -<p>“He hinted that you were a—ah, -don’t make me say it, please!”</p> - -<p>The man’s face grew stern.</p> - -<p>“And he knew all the time it was -false!” he cried.</p> - -<p>She put a soft finger on his tense -lips.</p> - -<p>“We just won’t think of him—and -really, I’ve forgiven him long ago, for -it was he that helped me in the end, -you know. Besides, he acknowledged -that he didn’t really suppose you were -Paul Weston. I—I fancy he didn’t -want me to think too highly of this -interesting Mr. Joseph Westbrook!” she -added saucily.</p> - -<p>The arm that held her tightened its -clasp.</p> - -<p>“He needn’t have worried,” she continued, -with uptilted chin. “I shall -never, never marry Mr. Joseph Westbrook!”</p> - -<p>“Ethel!”</p> - -<p>“But if Hustler Joe or Paul Weston -should ask——”</p> - -<p>Her lips were silenced by a kiss and -a fervent, “You little fraud of a sweetheart!”</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_180"></a>[Pg 180]</span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p class="f120"><i>Interludes</i></p> - -<p class="drop-cap">THE rich man speaks about how he spends his money, while his friends speak -about how he made it.</p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p>You could tell the old-time hero by his medals; the modern one is known -by his collection of loving-cups.</p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p>The spendthrift sometimes does more good with his money than the philanthropist.</p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p>The fact that figures won’t lie probably accounts for the invention of statistics.</p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p>A political job differs from any other kind, inasmuch as you work before -you get it, instead of afterward.</p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p>The miser holds on to his own money; the millionaire to other people’s.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="f120"><i>His Cogitation</i></p> - -<p class="drop-cap">“WELL, then, amongst others, there’s the man who habitually talks to -himself,” ruminatingly said the Pruntytown Philosopher the other -evening. “If he does it in order to listen to himself, he is a fool; if he does it -to avoid listening to his friends, he is a sage; and if he does it to save his friends -from listening to him, he is a philanthropist.”</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="f120"><i>The Safe Side</i></p> - -<p class="drop-cap">REPORTER—Were you quoted correctly in that interview in the morning -papers?</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Senator</span>—Come around the day after tomorrow. How can I tell until I -see how the interview is going to be taken?</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="f120"><i>An Inference</i></p> - -<p class="drop-cap">“MY wife and I have lived happily together for twenty-five years.”</p> - -<p>“Now, tell me, old fellow—in confidence, of course—which one of you -has had the other bluffed all this time?”</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_181"></a>[Pg 181]</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<a name="The_Constitution" id="The_Constitution"> </a> -<h2 class="nobreak"><i>The Constitution</i></h2></div> - -<p class="center space-above1 space-below1">BY FREDERICK UPHAM ADAMS<br /> -<i>Author of “The Kidnapped Millionaires,” “Colonel Monroe’s Doctrine,” “President -John Smith,” “Shades of the Fathers,” etc.</i></p> - -<p class="drop-cap">THE practical man values a house -not by its antiquity, but by -its conformability to modern -standards of construction and equipment. -If he purchases an ancient -structure he is not required to pay -an added price because of its lack of -plumbing, its absence of gas and electric -lighting fixtures, and he is not entranced -that its roof leaks and that its -cellar is damp and moldy.</p> - -<p>This same man, if he gives the subject -a passing thought, will likely assure -you that the Constitution of the United -States is a perfect document because -it is more than one hundred years old. -It also is likely that this is the extent -of his information concerning that -famous document.</p> - -<p>The average lack of knowledge concerning -our National Constitution is -astounding. Like children who have -been drilled to repeat the Lord’s Prayer -without the faintest conception of what -the petition means, we have mentally -drilled ourselves to believe that our -Constitution is perfect, that it was inspired -by a superhuman wisdom, and -that it is treason to criticize or even -discuss its infallible precepts.</p> - -<p>In this respect we are the most narrow, -bigoted and prejudiced people who -pretend to keep in alignment with -progress. For more than one hundred -years we have been proclaiming the -perfection of our free governmental institutions, -and calling on other nations -to admire us and to follow our example.</p> - -<p>Within the past few years the truth -has been forced home on us that the -officialdom of our townships, villages, -cities, counties, states and of the nation -is maggoty with corruption; that our -local, state and national legislatures -are openly controlled by mercenary -private interests; that the scandals concerning -our judiciary can no longer be -smothered or concealed; that our citizens -are powerless to pass laws demanded -by the majority, or to defeat -those aimed to despoil the majority; -that the burdens of taxation are -spurned by those who have amassed -wealth by means of unfair and ofttimes -purchased legislation, and that the -domination of corporations and vested -interests is so complete as to be apparent -to the dullest of the plundered.</p> - -<p>This language is not exaggerated. -It is impossible to overstate the enormity -of the depth to which we have descended -in the scale of political morals. -Ten years ago any one of the disclosures -which now are made from week to -week would have aroused the nation; -today the repetition of these horrors -dazes those who attempt to keep track -of them. Not one crime in a hundred -ever sees the light in printer’s ink. -The bigger thieves are so buttressed and -protected by the fortifications of -wealth, and so secure behind the barbed -wire entanglements woven by the -courts, that their enraged dupes cannot -reach them.</p> - -<p>Great Britain is a republic in all save -name, yet no such conditions prevail -under its government. France is a republic, -yet its people are not despoiled -by official brigands, neither is the free -expression of its electorate crushed beneath -the massed weight of its moneyed -interests.</p> - -<p>I count it a disgrace to be an American<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_182"></a>[Pg 182]</span> -so long as these degrading conditions -prevail. It is a dishonor to live -in a city, community, state or nation -where thievery is condoned or tolerated, -and it is cowardly weakness for the -honest majority to assume that the -problem of corruption is past their -solving.</p> - -<p>The most formidable barrier in the -way of permanent redress has been -erected and is maintained by those -who are checked by it. It consists of -the absurd assumption that our material -prosperity has been the consequence -of the perfect provisions of our -National Constitution. It is manifested -in the senseless worship of the -forefathers, and the ignorant deification -of the founders of the document, -which for more than a hundred years -has served as a model for our state, -municipal and local governments.</p> - -<p>We have come to recognize the -hopelessness of honest majorities when -pitted against the machinery of our -municipal governments; we no longer -deny that the cumbersome machinery -of our state governments lends itself -to the manipulation of corrupt private -interests; the suspicion has dawned on -us that our National Congress is more -concerned with thwarting public sentiment -than in conforming to it; and despite -all this knowledge we steadfastly -refuse to direct our gaze to the prime -cause of these abuses.</p> - -<p>With a hundred monopolies filching -from us that which we have created—and -doing it under the guise of law and -by sanction of the Constitution; with -legislatures, executives and courts -scorning to put into operation those -remedies for which we have legally -voted—and declining to do so under -the authority of the Constitution; with -a system of taxation which places all -the burdens on those who are poor because -they are producers of wealth, and -releasing from taxation those who have -become rich because of their exploitation -of labor and through the debauching -of its representatives—this system -being founded on constitutional decisions—we -yet cling to the childish -delusion that ours is the only perfect -government ever bequeathed to mankind.</p> - -<p>Compared with the governments of -England and France we have only the -semblance of self-rule, while they possess -the substance. The people of -Germany have more direct influence -over legislation than have those of the -United States. Despite an autocratic -emperor, surrounded as he is by a -nobility and protected by the most -powerful standing army in the world, -the people of Germany have made -greater progress along the road of -democracy within the last twenty -years than we have.</p> - -<p>If in England there is valid reason -to believe that the majority of the -people hold an opinion counter to that -of the administration in power, Parliament -is dissolved and a direct appeal -is made to the voters for a new body -of representatives. The new Parliament -meets and proceeds to pass the -laws demanded by the electorate. There -is a House of Lords, but it does not -dare reject a measure known to be -popular. There is a king, but he has -not exercised his veto power for more -than a century and a half, and one -need not be a prophet to hazard that -he never will exercise it again. There -is no supreme court in England. In -that benighted monarchy when the -people pass a law it is a law, and not a -guess.</p> - -<p>To all intents and purposes the same -procedure obtains in France and in a -score of other countries which might -be named. Ours is the only country on -earth where the vote of a citizen has -no direct significance.</p> - -<p>We are not permitted to vote for a -President, but are allowed to help -choose electors who represent not us, -but the state. There is no such thing -as a citizen of the United States, so -far as the franchise is concerned. If -you have a vote it is by grace of the -state in which you reside. The Constitution -does not recognize your -individual sovereignty in any way. -If you doubt this assertion read that -document.</p> - -<p>The state fixes your qualifications<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_183"></a>[Pg 183]</span> -as a voter. It might debar you because -of your sex, because of your -height, because you were not worth -$100,000, and you would have no -redress under the Constitution of the -United States. Possibly you did not -know this.</p> - -<p>In practice you are privileged to vote -for members of the Lower House of -Congress. That is the beginning and -the end of your influence so far as -your national government is concerned. -You have nothing to do with the -selection of senators, and I doubt if -you are consulted as to the composition -of the Supreme Court.</p> - -<p>As I have explained, if the Lower -House of the Legislature in England -passes a law, it at once becomes a law. -Under our Constitution the Senate has -the power to amend or defeat it. This -is supposed by us to be the quintessence -of all earthly legislative wisdom. -This is Check Number One on -the mandate of the foolish people. In -passing, I desire to repeat that this is -the only alleged republic or constitutional -monarchy yet remaining on -earth which assumes that its majorities -are unfit to influence legislation.</p> - -<p>If the measure demanded by the -people be so fortunate as to pass the -House and Senate, the President may -veto it. This is Check Number Two on -the mandate of the foolish people. If -the President sign the measure the -Supreme Court may declare it unconstitutional, -and that is the end of it, -unless a subsequent infallible Supreme -Court should overrule the decision -of the first infallible Supreme -Court. This is Check Number Three -on the mandate of a free and enlightened -people. In the event that -the Supreme Court should decide that -a law is a law, the financial interests -adversely affected may and do defeat -its enforcement by legal quibbles as to -details, or may and do resort to the -bribery of the officials charged with -the execution of the law. These are -Checks Numbers Four and Five on the -will of the people in this, the one -perfect system of popular government -ever designed in all history.</p> - -<p>We are the most corrupt nation on -earth because of “our peculiar form -of Government”; because of the exactions -and limitations of a Constitution -which was designed to protect and conserve -the interests of property rather -than of citizenship. Those who are -astounded or offended at this statement -need only read the record of the -convention which drafted the Constitution -in order to satisfy themselves -as to its moderation. I do not mean -to insinuate that the fifty-five delegates -who met in Philadelphia in 1787 -had any idea of establishing a system -which would foster corruption, but -the records absolutely prove that they -deliberately planned to suppress the -rule of the majority in order that popular -clamor might not menace property -interests. The train of abuses from -which we now suffer flow logically from -the checks they then provided; checks -which place selfish and corrupt wealth -beyond the reach of public redress.</p> - -<p>Those foolish persons who have been -taught in school and in the public -prints that the founders of our Constitution -were sincerely desirous of -establishing a system of government -in which the will of the people should -find free expression, will be shocked -and undeceived when they read its -debates and proceedings as recorded -by James Madison, one of the delegates -from Virginia. When one comes -to learn of these fifty-five delegates -that not more than ten are on record -as voicing the slightest degree of confidence -in the wisdom of the people or -their fitness to rule, he is likely to take -a new view of the Constitution framed -by them, and he is able to account for -the innumerable ills which we are -compelled to suffer.</p> - -<p>I will quote a few expressions of -opinion from delegates who wielded the -greater influence in the construction -of the Constitution:</p> - -<p><i>Roger Sherman</i>—“The people should -have as little to do as may be about the -Government.”</p> - -<p><i>Elbridge Gerry</i>—“The evils we experience -flow from an excess of democracy, -the worst of all possible evils.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_184"></a>[Pg 184]</span></p> - -<p><i>John Dickinson</i>—“A limited monarchy -is one of the best governments -in the world.”</p> - -<p><i>Rufus King</i>—“It is immaterial to -the people by what government they -are possessed, provided they be well -employed.”</p> - -<p><i>Alexander Hamilton</i>—“The British -monarchy is the best government in -the world,” and he doubted if anything -short of it would do in America. -“Their House of Lords is a most noble -institution.”</p> - -<p><i>Alexander Hamilton</i>—He acknowledged -himself not to think favorably -of republican government. “Inequality -in property constitutes the great -and fundamental distinction in society.”</p> - -<p><i>Gunning Bedford</i>—“Are we to act -with greater purity than the rest of -mankind? Our votes are actuated by -interest and ambition.”</p> - -<p><i>Gouverneur Morris</i>—“The Senate -must have great personal property; it -must have the aristocratic spirit; it -must love to lord it through pride. To -make it independent it should be for -life. Property is the main object of -society.”</p> - -<p><i>John Rutledge</i>—“Property certainly -is the principal object of society.”</p> - -<p><i>Pierce Butler</i>—“Slaves should have -an equal representation in a government -which is instituted principally for -the protection of property, and is of -itself to be supported by property.”</p> - -<p><i>Charles C. Pinckney</i>—“Property in -slaves should not be exposed to danger -in a government instituted for the protection -of property.”</p> - -<p><i>George Mason</i>—“It would be as unnatural -to refer the choice of a proper -character for President to the people -as to refer a test of colors to a blind -man.”</p> - -<p><i>James Madison</i>—“In future times a -great majority of the people will not -only be without landed but any sort -of property. If they combine, the -rights of property will not be safe in -their hands.”</p> - -<p><i>James Ellsworth</i>—“As population -grows, poor laborers will be so plenty -as to render slaves useless.”</p> - -<p>The thirteen delegates, from whom -I have quoted were the dominating -characters in that convention, and it -is possible to cite innumerable passages -expressing the same distrust and -contempt for the people. It should -be understood that the great mass of -the people had no representation in -that secret conclave, and that half a -century passed before its proceedings -were made public by Act of Congress.</p> - -<p>I have touched on these facts for the -purpose of indicating clearly that the -right to ignore the majority is inherent -in the Constitution. The Senate was -provided for the special benefit of property -interests, and at one time a clause -was adopted, decreeing that no one -could be elected a Senator of the -United States unless he was worth -$50,000 or more. This cautious provision -was abandoned because there -were states which had no men with -that amount of property. Having provided -a Senate they continued to pile -up checks against the people, until such -aristocrats as Gerry, Randolph and -Mason attempted to call a halt, declaring -that the people would be so stripped -of power that the last of their rights -would disappear. Their warnings were -disregarded, and they absolutely refused -to sign their names to the document.</p> - -<p>With these facts within access of -every citizen of the United States, the -vast majority of us still adhere to the -myths and falsehoods contained in our -school books and uttered by ignorant -demagogues and editors.</p> - -<p>It is likely that the aristocratic delegates -who framed the Constitution had -just reason to fear the people it was -intended to hold in check. The average -citizen of 1787 was a savage compared -with the average voter of today. -He knew of no world beyond the narrow -limit of his horizon. He was ignorant, -prejudiced, suspicious and envious. -The builders of the Constitution -regretted that it was necessary to -grant him even the shadow of political -power and were consumed by the dread -that the Lower House of Congress would -overawe all other branches of the new -government.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_185"></a>[Pg 185]</span></p> - -<p>In that day wealth had little influence -as a mass, but it was strong in its -instinct of self-preservation. It trembled -lest the poor should combine at -the polls in a crusade for the legal despoiling -of the rich. Having absolute -control of the convention it was free to -design a document which would include -every possible check against the aggressions -of the dreaded masses, and -it rightly conjectured that the magic -of the name of Washington would induce -the people to consent to the provisions -aimed against them.</p> - -<p>We of today are caught in the trap -set for those who lived more than a hundred -years ago. Not until after the -nation had been plunged into a civil -war between two factions—each of -which claimed strict allegiance to the -Constitution—did conditions arise -which afforded a fair test of the restrictive -features of that document. So -long as the wealth of the nation was -so distributed as to prevent the formation -of conspiracies in its behalf, the -masses were able to conserve their -rights, despite all of the checks and restrictions -in the Constitution. It was -this fairly maintained state of equilibrium -which half a century ago gave -rise to the worship of our system of -government.</p> - -<p>When the first unscrupulous man -found himself in possession of millions -of dollars the Constitution became not -his master but his tool. When the -officials of our first great corporation -found it practical to bribe legislation, -the trap set by the forefathers was -sprung. I do not mean to hint that -the founders of the Constitution foresaw -any such outcome. They constructed -a device to protect themselves, -and their bones had crumbled into dust -before wealth was sufficiently armed -and equipped to take advantage of -their mistakes.</p> - -<p>Wealth seized upon the senates, -state and national. It found in the -judiciary a natural ally, and it did not -hesitate to invoke the aid of partisanship -and the unblushing use of corrupt -influences, direct and indirect, in order -to subject the courts to its domination. -This is a blunt statement, but the time -has arrived when the courts can no -longer be covered with a machine-made -robe of sanctity. There are good -judges and bad judges, but the decisions -of the latter are as binding as -those of the former. A corporation -judge is not a priest; he is a low type -of politician.</p> - -<p>Our aristocratic forefathers designed -a Constitution intended to protect -themselves against a majority. Our -modern corporations and vested interests -have discovered that the same machinery -oiled with bribery can be used -by the minority for the purpose of -plundering the majority. Our forefathers -invented checks; our trusts have -converted them into bludgeons. Our -forefathers constructed constitutional -ramparts, behind which they hoped to -be safe from the attacks of the majority; -our vested interests have bristled -them with guns, behind which they -demand and receive tribute.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">Note</span>—In the May number Mr. Adams -will treat of the necessity for the revision -of the Constitution, and consider how it -may legally be accomplished.</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<a name="In_Absence" id="In_Absence"> </a> -<h2 class="nobreak"><i>In Absence</i></h2></div> - -<p class="center space-above1 space-below1">BY EUGENE C. DOLSON</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poem"> - <div class="stanza"> - <span class="i0"><span class="bigfont">W</span>ITH miles between us—miles of land and sea,</span> - <span class="i0">However far my wandering footsteps roam,</span> - <span class="i0">Still memory ever backward turns to thee—</span> - <span class="i0">Queen of my heart and home.</span><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_186"></a>[Pg 186]</span> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p class="f120"><i>In Outline</i></p> - -<p class="drop-cap">“MANY a man complains that he lost his health in business, although he -was not in business for his health.”</p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p>“The quickest way to get to the top in this world is to have someone let -you in on the ground floor.”</p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p>“Money often fails to bring happiness, on account of the way it has been -made.”</p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p>“The world may owe you a living, but you have to work hard to collect -the debt.”</p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p>“One-half the world doesn’t care how the other half lives.”</p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p>“The man who courts an investigation has generally been making love -to other people’s money.”</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="f120"><i>Not Guilty</i></p> - -<p class="drop-cap">TAVERN LOUNGER—That ’ere smooth-shaved, horse-faced feller jest -goin’ into the dinin’-room looks like an actor.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Landlord</span>—Yes; but you bet yer life he ain’t one! He came day before -yesterday, paid his bill in advance, and ain’t kicked about anything yet!</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="f120"><i>A Discovery</i></p> - -<p class="drop-cap">“I HAVE looked the matter over with reasonable care,” said the Pruntytown -Philosopher, with his usual acridity, “and I have reached the conclusion -that it is not absolutely necessary to send boys to college in order to have ’em -act the fool.”</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="f120"><i>A One-Sided Alliance</i></p> - -<p class="drop-cap">JUDSON—Do you think capital and labor will ever work together?</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Budson</span>—It looks that way. At the present time the landlord and the -tenants seem to be both engaged in raising the rent.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="f120"><i>At the Zoo</i></p> - -<p class="drop-cap">THE PARROT—The eagle says he has been bald ever since he can remember.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">The Cockatoo</span>—Gee-whiz! Those eagles marry very young, don’t they?</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_187"></a>[Pg 187]</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<a name="The_Gray_Weed" id="The_Gray_Weed"> </a> -<h2 class="nobreak"><i>The Gray Weed</i></h2></div> - -<p class="center space-above1 space-below1">AN EXTRACT FROM THE “LONDON TIMES” OF FEBRUARY 8, 1909</p> - -<p class="center space-above1 space-below1">BY OWEN OLIVER</p> - -<p class="drop-cap">OWING to the lamented death of -Professor Newton, to whose -wisdom and courage the world -owes its deliverance, I have been asked -to contribute to the first newspaper -issued in the new era some account of -the terrible weed which overran the -earth, and threatened to stifle out -mankind.</p> - -<p>The professor had intended dealing -with the origin of the weed, its relations -to ordinary plants, the nature of -its growth, so far as this proceeded, -and the forms which it would ultimately -have assumed. Unfortunately his notes -upon these points are so abbreviated -and technical as to be unintelligible to -me; and personally I possess no qualifications -for dealing with the scientific -aspects of the case. So I must -confine myself to a plain narrative of -the occurrences which I witnessed.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was nine o’clock in the evening of -November 10, 1908, when I left my -office in Norfolk Street, letting myself -out with a duplicate key which the -hall-porter had intrusted to me. I -thought at first that it was snowing; but -when I put out my hand and caught -a few of the particles, I found that -they were flimsy white seeds, something -like those of melons, only less -substantial. Where they lay in heaps—as -I thought—in the road, their -color appeared to be gray. At the -Embankment end of the street the -“heaps” were larger; and when I came -to them I discovered that they were not -seeds, but a growth of gray weed, -which fastened round my shoes as I -tried to walk over it.</p> - -<p>I stooped and took hold of a piece to -examine it; but, when I attempted to -pluck it, it stretched like elastic, without -breaking off. The tendrils were -round, and about one-fourth of an inch -in diameter when not stretched. They -had, at intervals, spherical bulges -which, at a distance, bore the appearance -of small berries. These appeared -to be of the same substance as the tendrils. -The latter began twining round -my fingers, and I had some difficulty in -releasing them. The road and the -Embankment were deserted by people, -but three or four horses at the cab stand -were plunging with fright as the weed -wound round their legs. It had grown -perceptibly in the few minutes that I -had been observing it, and, feeling -somewhat alarmed, I made my way -back along Norfolk Street.</p> - -<p>The weed had spread a good deal -there also; and I noticed that wherever -a white seed fell a fresh plant sprang -up, and grew with marvelous rapidity. -In the Strand the weed was nearly a -yard high. The ’bus drivers were whipping -their frightened horses in a vain -attempt to drive over it. The foot-passengers -were unable to move, except -a big man, who, with a small axe, -hacked a passage through the growth -for himself, his wife and his daughter—a -pretty girl of about nineteen.</p> - -<p>They were making their way down to -the Embankment, but I warned them -that the weed was thick there. The -young lady then suggested that they -should try to get into one of the houses, -and I invited them to come to my offices. -The tendrils were seizing people and -pulling them down and binding them<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_188"></a>[Pg 188]</span> -like flies in a spider’s web. We could -hear cries and screams all along the -Strand, and a cab was upset by the -struggles of the horse. The weed had -spread over Norfolk Street, while we -were talking, and it clung to our feet -as we ran. The lady tripped and fell. -The tendrils seized her immediately, -and we had great difficulty in freeing -her. When we had entered the door -of the house we could not close it until -we had chopped away the tendrils that -followed us.</p> - -<p>I turned on the electric light in the -halls, and took my new friends to my -rooms, which were on the fifth floor. -The elder lady was faint, and I gave -her some brandy and soda and biscuits. -I had a good stock of these fortunately.</p> - -<p>The gentleman’s name was George -Baker, his wife was Marian Baker, and -the girl was Viva. They had been buying -curiosities in the Strand, and the -axe—a roughly engraved Moorish -instrument—was fortunately among -their purchases. Some people whom -they met in the streets had told them -that the weed was growing all over -London, and that the Guards had been -ordered out to cut it away. A learned -old gentleman had conjectured that the -seeds were the atoms of some dissipated -planet, or the elements of some world -that was to be, and that they contained -the raw elements of life, which -set them growing when they came into -contact with suitable matter.</p> - -<p>“It’s diabolical!” Mr. Baker said -furiously. “The vestries ought to -send round water-carts with weed-killer, -or—or something. I don’t -know what they ought to do; but -they ought to do something.” He -wiped his face excitedly with his handkerchief. -“Diabolical!” he repeated. -“It grows through the flagstones, -the wood paving, everything. It—it -seizes people!”</p> - -<p>“Seizes people!” his wife repeated, -wringing her hands. “We saw it.”</p> - -<p>“It clings to you,” the girl added -tremulously. “<i>Clings</i> to you. If it -goes on growing——!”</p> - -<p>Her mother gave a sharp scream, -and her father groaned.</p> - -<p>“If it goes on growing—!” they -said together.</p> - -<p>“It won’t,” I assured them, with an -indifferent appearance of confidence. -“Those things that grow like—like -fungi—never do. It will shrivel up -suddenly, and let people go again. I -don’t suppose they’re really hurt, only -frightened. In an hour or so you’ll -be on your way home, and laughing -about it; and I shall be thanking the—the -fungus—for some pleasant acquaintances. -I look upon this as a little surprise -party.”</p> - -<p>The girl wiped her eyes and forced -a smile.</p> - -<p>“A little surprise party,” she agreed. -“What are you going to do for our -entertainment, Mr. Adamson?—I saw -the name on the door-plate.”</p> - -<p>“Henry Adamson,” I said, “and -very much at your service, Miss Viva—I -have some cards, but——”</p> - -<p>I paused doubtfully. Her mother -held up a trembling hand, and her -father shook his head.</p> - -<p>“We won’t have any fool’s games,” -he said. “Let’s talk.”</p> - -<p>Viva and I talked in broken sentences, -and her mother and father in -monosyllables. We kept glancing at -the window, but no one had the courage -to draw up the blind for nearly an -hour. Then we opened the window -and looked out. The weed was fully -six feet high in the street, and higher -in the Strand. It had overrun the -’bus that stood at the opening. If -there were people on the ’bus, it had -overrun them, too.</p> - -<p>“It doesn’t seem to hurt,” I said. -“There’s no screaming now.” I shuddered -as soon as I had said it.</p> - -<p>“There is no screaming now,” Viva -repeated. “I suppose they—they are -all——”</p> - -<p>Her voice broke. Her father shut -the window sharply and drew her -away.</p> - -<p>“It will be gone in the morning,” -he asserted, “as—as our friend said. -We shall have to impose on your -hospitality for the night, I am afraid, -Mr. Adamson.”</p> - -<p>“There is no question of imposing,”<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_189"></a>[Pg 189]</span> -I assured him. “I cannot say how glad -I am to have your company.”</p> - -<p>We made a couch for the ladies by -putting several hearth-rugs on the -table in the clerks’ room, and laying -two rugs of mine to cover them. Mr. -Baker and I dozed in front of the fire -in my room in chairs. Toward the -morning I fell into a sounder sleep. -When I woke he had pulled up the -blind.</p> - -<p>“It’s fifteen feet high at least,” he -told me. “Halfway up the second -windows. God help us!”</p> - -<p>I joined him and saw the roadway -filled with a sea of gray weeds. They -looked like india-rubber reeds. The -largest were as thick as my little finger, -and the bulges were the size of damsons. -We opened the window and -listened. Presently a caretaker opened -a window nearly opposite and called to -his wife.</p> - -<p>“Here’s a rum go, Mary,” he -shouted, with a laugh. “Bulrushes -growing to the street! We sha’n’t have -any clerks pestering us today.”</p> - -<p>The woman joined him, and they -laughed together because they would -have a holiday. They treated the -matter as a joke, and evidently disbelieved -us when we told them of the -terrible events of the preceding night. -So we closed the window and called -the ladies. I made some tea on my -ring-burner, and we breakfasted on -that and biscuits. The ladies avoided -the window, and so did I, but Mr. -Baker went to it every few minutes. -After each visit he whispered to me -that it was still growing. Mrs. Baker -seemed in a stupor, but Viva tried hard -to cheer us. She sang little snatches -of song under her breath as she washed -the tea-cups; and once she said that it -was great “fun.” Her mouth trembled -when I looked reproachfully at her.</p> - -<p>“Mother is so nervous,” she whispered. -“I have to pretend, to cheer -her. Do you think it will—grow?”</p> - -<p>“Heaven knows!” I said. “But -you are very brave.”</p> - -<p>After this, she and I sat at the window, -watching the tendrils growing -and growing, and clutching incessantly -at the air. I thought, at first, that they -were swaying in the wind, but there -was no breeze. Also there was an -indescribable air of purpose about -their movement. A number of long -branches spread themselves over a -window opposite. Their swaying -ceased, and they pressed on it steadily, -till at last it broke with a dull crash. -Mrs. Baker fainted, and her husband -lifted her on to the sofa. Viva clung -to my arm. The malicious tendrils -broke down the window-frame, piece -by piece, and spread slowly into the -room, winding themselves round the -tables and chairs.</p> - -<p>“If anyone had been there,” Viva -cried hoarsely. “If—if—” She looked -at me. Her eyes were big with fright.</p> - -<p>“They must be doing something -to stop it,” I said—“the—the authorities. -If we could find out! I’ll try -the telephone.”</p> - -<p>After several calls I obtained an -answer. It was a girl’s voice. Six of -them had stayed all night in the exchange, -she said. They were in communication -with the police and the -Government Offices. The soldiers had -been out since the previous evening, -and had cut their passage from Chelsea -Barracks to Victoria Street, and -along this almost to Westminster -Bridge. They had intended coming on -to Whitehall and the Strand; but the -stuff grew almost as quickly as it was -cut down, and had overpowered many -of them. Over a hundred had been -crushed to death by it, and they had -sent for gun-cotton to try and blow it -up, as a last resort. It was known, -through the telegraph, that the weed -had appeared all over England and on -the Continent. It was also growing -out of the sea. The English Channel -was choked in places, and several -vessels had been bound by the weed in -sight of the coast. “It’s alive!” she -wailed; “alive! Its eyes are watching -us through the windows!” (The -bulges had the appearance of eyes.)</p> - -<p>I was unable to obtain any further -answers, although I tried the telephone -several times. By one o’clock -the third-story windows were covered.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_190"></a>[Pg 190]</span> -The thickest tendrils were then -nearly the diameter of a florin, with -the bulges the size and shape of exceedingly -large plums. The stems and -bulges seemed to be of one homogeneous -material. There were no leaves -or fruit or flowers at this time, but -branches were beginning to sprout -from the main stems. There did not -appear to be any communication between -one stem and another; but, according -to Professor Newton’s notes, -this undoubtedly took place at the -roots, which interlaced so as to form a -gigantic nervous system or brain.</p> - -<p>We made another meal of tea and -biscuits. Mrs. Baker seemed stupefied -with horror, and her husband was -evidently overcome by his anxiety for -her, and scarcely spoke. Viva and I -tried to talk, but our voices broke off -in the middle of words. We listened -vainly for any explosions, and concluded -that the attempt at rescue had -failed. By four o’clock the weed was -up to the window-sill. Mrs. Baker was -in a prolonged faint. Her husband sat -beside her, with his head on his hand. -He did not look up when I suggested -carrying her out on the roof.</p> - -<p>“The cold would rouse her,” he -said. “It is best as it is. You’re a -good chap, I think. Do what you can -for my little girl.”</p> - -<p>I put on my overcoat, crammed the -pockets with biscuits and a flask, and -persuaded Viva to accompany me to -the roof to look for a way of escape, -for us and for her parents. We never -saw them again.</p> - -<p>Some people from neighboring houses -were on the adjoining roofs already, -two old caretakers, a man and a lad. -We saw about twenty more on the -roofs in other streets. Some of them -were raving and singing. The caretakers -who had spoken to us in the -morning flung their window open. -They were laughing as if they had been -drinking. They brought two pailfuls -of boiling water and emptied it upon -the weed. There was a soft hissing -sound. Then two—four—six quivering -tendrils reached slowly toward -them. The man and woman seemed -fascinated. They did not attempt to -move, only screamed. The tendrils -seized them; bound them round and -round. Viva buried her head on my -shoulder, and I shut my eyes. It was -about half a minute, I think, before -the screams ceased. Then there was -crash after crash as windows were -broken in. The weed had its passions, -it seemed.</p> - -<p>“Take me back to my mother and -father,” Viva begged. “We can all -die together—if you would rather die -with us?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. I would rather die with you, -Viva,” I said. “I should have liked -you very much if we had lived.”</p> - -<p>We returned to the trap-door, but -the staircase was choked with the -weed. As we looked down it seemed -to be a pit of twirling gray snakes. We -called to her mother and father, but -there was no answer. Viva would have -flung herself among the weed, but I -held her and carried her back to the -roof. The weed was beginning to -crawl over the gutters. Long rope-like -filaments were surrounding the -other people who were on the roofs. -They huddled together and did not attempt -to escape. The tendrils overran -them and bound them round and -round. I think they had mostly fainted. -There was only one cry.</p> - -<p>The tendrils lashed one another and -fought over their prey. Their struggles -made a repulsive, “scrooping” -noise—a noise like the sound of stroking -silk, only louder. There was also -a sound of crunching bones.</p> - -<p>I did not notice the weed closing -round us till Viva clutched my arm.</p> - -<p>“Hold me,” she begged. “Hold me -tight! I thought life had only just begun——”</p> - -<p>I supported her on one arm, and -backed toward the Strand end of the -roof, where the weed had encroached -less. We stumbled against a skylight. -The attic below was empty. I opened -the frame, lowered Viva and jumped -down after her. We crouched in a -corner watching the window. One—two -minutes passed. Then the gray -weed, with the bulges that simulated<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_191"></a>[Pg 191]</span> -eyes, pressed upon it. The glass shivered -upon the floor. I lifted Viva in -my arms—she was too faint to walk—and -carried her out on the landing.</p> - -<p>The light was bad, and I saw no -weed till we reached the next landing. -Then it stretched toward us from the -broken window-frame. A dozen gray -ropes crept toward us from the stairs -when we approached them. The lift -was standing open. I pushed Viva in, -jumped after her, slid the steel railing -to and lowered us. A tendril caught -at the lift as we started. I heard it -snap.</p> - -<p>In my excitement I lowered the lift -too fast. We were thrown against the -sides and almost stunned when it -stopped. There was barely a glimmer -of light, and we did not know if we -had reached the bottom of the shaft -or had been stopped by the weed. We -listened for a long while and heard -nothing. Then we let ourselves out -and advanced a few inches at a time, -feeling round us with our hands. We -seemed to be in the hall of the basement. -We came upon a table and -found a tray on it with biscuits and -milk. We drank the milk and Viva -stuffed the biscuits in her pockets, as -mine were full. There was a dim, -barely perceptible light from an area -window. We peered up through the -grating into the forest of huge weeds. -The trunks, which had grown to the -size of young elms, only swayed a little; -but the branches above twisted and -twined incessantly. Viva shuddered -when she saw them, and I took her -away.</p> - -<p>“We are safe down here,” I assured -her; but she pressed her hand over my -mouth.</p> - -<p>“Hush!” she whispered. “Hush! -It may hear.”</p> - -<p>We wandered about in the darkness -till we found a caretaker’s room. We -sat there on a sofa, holding hands. We -never lost touch of each other all the -time. I do not know how long it was. -It seemed years. The basement was -very quiet, but the sound of the india-rubbery -motion came down to us. -Once or twice we thought we heard a -human cry. Once a mouse squeaked, -and a spider dropped on the couch beside -us with a thud. We were always -listening.</p> - -<p>After an unknown time we groped -our way into the scullery to get water. -We had just drunk when we heard the -sound of india-rubbery tentacles dragging -themselves over the walls. Something -clung to my hand. Something -held her skirt. It tore as I pulled her -from it. Something was in the way -when we tried to close the door. It -followed us across the room and into -the passage. We felt along the walls -for the door that we thought led to the -cellars—found it—fastened it after us—groped -down the stairs. It was -darker than the darkness of the basement -above—darkness that could be -felt. We stumbled over some coals—and -a rough, hoarse voice came out of -the darkness.</p> - -<p>“Give us your hand, guv’nor,” it -said, “just a touch of your hand. I’ve -been alone here for—for a thousand -years!”</p> - -<p>Something staggered toward us—stumbled -against us; and a huge rough -hand gripped my arm.</p> - -<p>I put myself between him and Viva -and pressed her arm for silence. The -voice and grip were not reassuring, and -I hoped he did not know she was there.</p> - -<p>“Here is my hand,” I said.</p> - -<p>“And mine,” said Viva eagerly. -“You are a friend—of course you are a -friend. God bless you.”</p> - -<p>“God bless you, lady.” The rough -voice softened strangely. “I—I’m -sorry to intrude.”</p> - -<p>He drew back a little way from us -and sat down. I could not see him, -but I could hear him breathe. Another -unknown time passed. Then Viva -whispered that she was thirsty.</p> - -<p>“There’s a pail of water,” the man -said, “if I can find it.” He moved -about in the darkness till he kicked it. -Then he brought it to us. We drank -from the pail and ate a few biscuits. -I offered him some, but he said that he -had a crust left. Viva and I explored -the cellar and found a shovel and a -pick. I suggested that we should try<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_192"></a>[Pg 192]</span> -to break through into the next cellar, -on the chance of finding food; but Viva -and the man feared that the weed -might hear us.</p> - -<p>She and I sat on an empty packing-case, -and she laid her head on my -shoulder and slept. After a time I -slept too. The man woke us.</p> - -<p>“There’s something moving, guv’nor,” -he said hoarsely. “I think it’s -growing out of the floor. Strike a -match, and give me the shovel.”</p> - -<p>We found forty or fifty weed plants -growing. He beat some down with the -shovel, but others clutched him round -the legs. He was a strong, rough-looking -man and he fought furiously, -but they pulled him down. I gave -Viva the matches and went to his rescue -with the pick. The weeds seized -me too, but he cut us both free with a -clasp-knife, and at length we destroyed -them all.</p> - -<p>We saw by the matchlight that the -wall was cracking in one place. So we -resolved to try to get through it. The -man dislodged a few bricks with the -pick, and we pulled others away till -our fingers bled and the last match -gave out. At length he managed to -crawl through.</p> - -<p>“You come next, sir,” he proposed. -“The lady would be frightened of me.”</p> - -<p>“Dear friend,” Viva said, “I am not -in the least afraid of you.”</p> - -<p>So he helped her through, and I followed. -We discovered a passage, and -along the passage another doorway—and -people. I do not remember our -words when we found one another in -the dark—only the gladness of it.</p> - -<p>There were about twenty of them—men, -women and children. They had -food and drink which they had collected -before they fled to the cellar. -Professor Newton was among them. -He seemed acknowledged as their -leader, and he proposed me as his second. -He wanted the aid of an intelligent -and educated man, he whispered, -in fighting the weed.</p> - -<p>“We <i>must</i> fight it,” he declared, -tapping me on the arm with his finger, -“but I don’t know how. I—don’t—know—how!—I -can’t even guess what -it is; still less what it is going to be. -It may be mere vegetable life—a man-eating -plant. It may be brute animal -life—a <i>carnivorous</i> animal! It may -be intelligent—diabolical intelligence. -Whatever it is, it will develop as it -grows, develop new organs and new -powers, new strength and new weaknesses. -We must strike <i>there</i>. What -weaknesses? Ah-h! I don’t know! -It may outgrow itself and wither. It -may perish from the little microbes of -the earth, like the Martians in Wells’s -romance. We thought that an idle -fancy <i>then</i>. It may grow into an intelligent—devil! -It may be one now -and merely lack the organs to carry out -fully its evil will. On the other hand, -its malevolence may be purposeless—a -blind restlessness that it will outgrow—after -we have stifled in the darkness -at its feet. We must fight it anyhow. -To fight it we must understand it. To -understand it we must study it. Will -you risk your life with me?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” I said.</p> - -<p>Viva cried softly when I told her I -must go; but she did not try to keep -me from my duty. The professor and -I crawled up the stairs into the basement, -and finding nothing there went -up in the lift in the dark. We heard -the weed moving about on the second -landing. I jumped out, turned on the -electric light, and jumped in again. -The tendrils followed me and clutched -at the steel curtain, but could not -break it. We hacked with our pen-knives -at those that crept through. -The juice which ran out from them had -an oily smell. They beat furiously on -the curtain. The professor studied -them calmly with a microscope. The -bulges were the beginning of eyes, he -thought. He pronounced some feathery -sprays sprouting from them to be -the rudiments of organs like hands. I -do not know whether he was right, -but he always maintained that they -would develop organs of sense. Anyhow -the character of the weed was -clearly changing. It had grown harder -and drier, but without losing its flexibility -or strength.</p> - -<p>After a time the professor decided<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_193"></a>[Pg 193]</span> -that I should return to the others. He -went up again in the lift when he had -lowered me. Viva was waiting for me -in the dark just inside the door.</p> - -<p>I had obtained some candles. We -lit one and stuck it in a bottle. I shall -never forget the group in the low, wide -cellar, huddled together on boxes or on -the floor. The man we met first was -nursing an ailing child. Lady Evelyn -Angell had gathered a young flower-girl -under her opera cloak. A policeman -was binding up a wounded hand -with his handkerchief. A shivering -old match-seller wore his cape. Viva -took a little boy on her lap and told -him about Jack and the Beanstalk. -Steel—a card sharper, I learned afterward—who -had been indefatigable -in helping everyone, was chatting to -Lady Evelyn. Some ill-clad youths -had draped themselves in sacking. A -rouged and gaudily dressed woman -was mothering some younger ones. -She had comforted Viva while I was -away, I heard, and had offered to accompany -her in a search for me, but -the others had persuaded them that -they would only be a hindrance to us.</p> - -<p>After a couple of hours—I had -wound my watch again—the professor -reappeared. His clothes were torn -and his face and hands were bleeding.</p> - -<p>“They broke the steel curtain at -last,” he explained, “but I got away. -Good heavens, how it grows! I can’t -make up my mind about it.”</p> - -<p>After a time, when most of us were -dozing, a portion of the roof and the -wall fell in. The growth of the roots -under the street had pressed the earth -upon it, the professor conjectured. A -faint light streamed down the tall -weeds and through the opening. The -branches overhead were still moving, -but the lower stems seemed inert. The -professor decided to venture among -them in search of knowledge. I went -with him. There was just room enough -between the weeds for us to pass.</p> - -<p>The houses upon the other side of -the street were all down. So were -many in the Strand. In Fleet Street -we saw the way it was done. The huge -weeds leaned upon them, till they fell -with a crash. The Law Courts went -so. We found the clock among -the weeds. Sometimes the branches -pushed themselves through the windows -and walls of houses which were -still standing. Once or twice we -heard human cries. We found a -woman, with a baby and a dog, walking -among the weed-trees, and took -them with us.</p> - -<p>The light which straggled down -through the waving branches overhead -was feeble and patchy, and we -lost our way for a time. At length we -found Norfolk Street; but as we were -entering it, some of the tendrils, which -seemed to be fighting one another -viciously overhead, broke off and -dropped at our feet. They writhed -upon the ground like huge gray snakes, -and wound themselves round the weed-trees -and lashed out blindly. One of -them caught the woman and dashed -her against a trunk. We pulled her -away from the tendril as its violence -lessened, but she was dead. The baby -was not hurt and still slept. I carried -it in my arms.</p> - -<p>A moment later a broken tendril -dropped right upon the dog. He -howled loudly, and in his fright bit at -an unbroken tendril hanging down -among the trees. (There were a good -many such, but we had succeeded in -avoiding them hitherto.) It shook -as if with rage and pain, wrapped its -extremity round the dog, and bore -him aloft, still howling. Hundreds -of tendrils stretched toward it, and -fought with it for the dog. They still -fought after his cries ceased; and other -tendrils began reaching downward, in -every direction round us, as if searching -for further prey. The professor watched -them intently, oblivious of danger.</p> - -<p>“They make a different sound now,” -he remarked abstractedly. “It is no -longer the scroop-scroop of clammy -india-rubber—they <i>rustle</i>. It doesn’t -seem like decay. They are stronger—stronger. -There is always weakness in -excess of anything—even strength. -Let me think!”</p> - -<p>“Quick!” I cried. “Quick! They -are falling upon us. Run!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_194"></a>[Pg 194]</span></p> - -<p>We dodged rapidly among the weed-trunks. -He was slow and I pushed -him. Tendril after tendril rustled -downward, and the trunks themselves -swayed. Two almost fixed the professor -between them—he was a stout -man—but I dragged him through. -The light from above was entirely shut -out by the descending tendrils, and we -must have been lost but for an electric -lamp burning in one of the houses. -As it was, the descending tendrils must -have caught us but for their struggles -among themselves. Broken pieces -dropped and wriggled madly all round -us, and we had to dodge them. One -caught at my foot, and dragged my -shoe off as I pulled myself away. Several -touched us as we slid down the -debris into the cellar. They followed -us there.</p> - -<p>A few of the people screamed. A -few fainted. The rest backed in a -huddled, wide-eyed crowd toward the -farthest wall. Lady Evelyn stood in -front of the children, holding out her -arms as if to shelter them. Steel came -and stood in front of her.</p> - -<p>“Dear lady,” he said, “these have -been the best days of my life—since -we met. I should have been a better -man if I had met you before.” She -smiled very sweetly at him.</p> - -<p>“I like you greatly, Mr. Steel,” she -said.</p> - -<p>The rouged woman came and took -the baby from me, and I tried to pull -the professor back; but he would not -come. Viva ran out from the crowd -and put her arms round me. The -tendrils drew nearer and nearer. Some -came along the ceiling, hanging their -heads like snakes. Others crawled -along the floor, raising themselves as -if to dart at us. I do not know whether -they saw us, heard us or smelt us, or -how they knew where we were; but -they knew.</p> - -<p>They were within a yard of the professor, -and still he did not move; only -took the burning candle from the -bottle, and railed at them as if they -could hear. I thought that he had gone -mad.</p> - -<p>“Do you think man has learned -nothing in his thousand generations?” -he shouted. “That you can crush him -with the brute strength of a few days? -Come and see! Come and see!”</p> - -<p>The foremost tentacle wound round -him; began to lift him. He felt it -carefully with his hands. “It is dry,” -he shouted—“<i>dry!</i>”</p> - -<p><i>Then he put the candle to it!</i></p> - -<p>There was a wilderness of white -light. Then a purple darkness. I heard -the professor fall. When our eyes recovered -from their dazed blindness the -weed was utterly gone. The daylight -was streaming into the hole in the -wall, and the professor was picking -himself up from the floor. His hair -and beard were badly singed, and his -eyebrows were gone.</p> - -<p>“It dried too fast,” he told us, with -a queer angry chuckle. “That was its -weakness. It dried—dried——”</p> - -<p>He kept on repeating the word in a -dull, aimless tone. The rest repeated -it vacantly after him. Viva was the -first to speak coherently—a faint -whisper in my ear.</p> - -<p>“My dear!” she said. “My <i>dear</i>!”</p> - -<p>Lady Evelyn spoke next—to ex-card -sharper Steel.</p> - -<p>“The world begins afresh,” she -said; “and—you <i>have</i> met me, Mr. -Steel.”</p> - -<p>The tears rolled down her cheek -and his, and they stood smiling at each -other.</p> - -<p>“The world begins afresh,” the professor -called in a loud voice. “Come -with me and make it a better world.” -He strode toward the light, but some -held back.</p> - -<p>“The weed!” they cried timorously.</p> - -<p>“The weed has gone—burned in an -instant, from the end of the world to -the end of the world!” he assured them. -“Follow me.”</p> - -<p>We followed him out of the darkness -into the sunlight. It was a mild, bright -day for November, and a pleasant air.</p> - -<p>The weed had disappeared entirely, -as the professor predicted; and, speaking -generally, the conflagration had -been too sudden to do much harm; but -most of the buildings had subsided -upon the sudden destruction of the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_195"></a>[Pg 195]</span> -weed-roots which had undermined -them. Here and there houses, stones -and timber had caught fire; and in -many districts the fire spread, and -lasted for days.</p> - -<p>The statistics, which are being prepared -in the New Department for the -Service of the People, over which I -have the honor to preside, are not yet -quite complete; but I may mention -that seventeen per cent. of the buildings -on the north of the Thames are -found to have been destroyed, and -ninety-three per cent. on the south—the -wind having blown mainly in that -direction; and that the destruction of -property in Great Britain and Ireland -generally is roughly estimated at fifty-five -per cent.</p> - -<p>The adventures of our little band, -after we came out from our hiding-place, -scarcely belong to this story; -but I must set down a few events -which stand out in red letters in our -calendar of the world after the Gray -Weed.</p> - -<p>Upon the first afternoon we learned -that there were other survivors—which -we had not dared to hope—by -finding a man, woman and child -nearly dead with hunger and fright, -hiding in a basement. We formed ourselves -at once into small parties to go -round London, wherever houses yet -stood, and rang the church bells, and -blew trumpets, and beat drums, and -shouted to all those who remained to -come out. Here and there frightened -groups of white-faced, famished, disheveled -people answered the call. As -our numbers increased we sent parties -to search the cellars and other hiding-places, -and rescued many at their last -gasp. The total number of survivors -in London, where the percentage of -deaths was highest, amounts to some -35,000.</p> - -<p>Upon the second day we obtained -several replies to our calls by telegraph -to the provinces; and the next -day we were in telegraphic communication -with most parts of the United -Kingdom and even the Continent. In -almost all towns at least one or two -persons had escaped. In some parts -the Gray Weed had left open spaces, -or a few houses, to which people could -flee, and only a portion of those who -reached them had died from starvation. -In a few instances it was alleged -to have refrained from injuring those -with whom it came in contact. Also -it failed to crush many of the ships -which it seized at sea—the sea-growths -generally being less virulent than those -on land. So far as our statistics go at -present, we hope that nearly one-eighth -of the population of Europe -has survived.</p> - -<p>On the fourth day the first train -from the provinces to London was run; -and several ships, which the weed had -overgrown without injuring, came into -port. After this, traffic was rapidly -re-established.</p> - -<p>A fortnight later our present government -was provisionally established. -The professor, whom all hailed as their -deliverer, refused office himself; but -upon his nomination I was appointed -to my present position. Several of our -little band were assigned important -posts, including Steel—now known by -another name, and married to Lady -Evelyn—and Viva, who is presiding -over the London Homes for Orphans, -until our marriage. The day after -tomorrow a newspaper appears.</p> - -<p>We have toiled unremittingly to -reconstruct the social and commercial -life of the country, and not without -success. We have few luxuries, but no -wants; fewer workers, but no drones; -fewer to love—but we love more—I -think the world will go well, now, because -we love one another so much.</p> - -<p>“The Gray Weed has solved the -problems of poverty, envy, crime and -strife, which have puzzled mankind -for ages,” the professor said, just before -he died. “Don’t cry, little Viva. -Ah! But I felt a tear on my hand! -There is nothing to cry about, my -child. <i>They</i> have gone; and <i>I</i> am going; -but <i>you</i> have learned to love. It is all -for the best!”</p> - -<p>“All—for—the—best,” he repeated -at the last, and smiled. That is his -message to you to whom I write, dear -friends.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_196"></a>[Pg 196]</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<a name="With_Caste_Against_Him" id="With_Caste_Against_Him"> </a> -<h2 class="nobreak"><i>With Caste Against Him</i></h2></div> - -<p class="center space-above1 space-below1">BY HUGH PENDEXTER</p> - -<p class="drop-cap">TIBERIUS Smith in love was a -spectacle I had never conjured -up. Billy Campbell, the strolling -actor and his patron’s Boswell, -had pictured the old showman to me -as being arrested for a spy in Russia, -for a madman in France, for a too -active Carlist in Spain and for smuggling -opium in China, but he had never -hinted at sentiment. I had taken it -for granted that Smith’s many wanderings -over the face of the earth with his -various theatrical enterprises and circuses -had eliminated any inclination -for love-sickness, and it seems it had -until he met the lord’s daughter.</p> - -<p>That was like Smith. It was impossible -to conceive of him as married -and settled down, and when he did fall -in love it was his characteristic to indulge -in a hopeless passion. For all -that, the lord’s daughter was forced to -see him at his best, sturdy and resourceful, -when others failed her, and -I doubt not but that this knowledge -was sadly sweet to the old showman, -and that in after years he enjoyed diagnosing -the climax and realizing it was -superbly dramatic. If she ignored his -existence at first, he had the keen pleasure -of knowing she had only him to rely -on at a most critical finale and that -her world was better, much better, for -his having lived.</p> - -<p>Possibly the trick could have been -turned without him, turned in a prosaic -manner with some bloodshed and -a great waste of gunpowder. But -when a lovely girl is the stake, be she -a lord’s daughter or a queen from the -masses, it is sometimes advisable to -finesse. And Tiberius, if slightly melodramatic, -solved the problem as he -could only do, and as only he could -do—that is, in an unusual manner. -Campbell used to style him the “assassin -of adversity,” and his peculiar -faculty of rescuing the weak from undesirable -situations was, perhaps, never -better demonstrated than when, with -cutter bars down, he restored the English -girl to her people and incidentally -introduced the uses and abuses of modern -farming implements to some unsophisticated -savages in a lonely Pacific -isle.</p> - -<p>I had recurred to the time when -Tiberius piloted an Uncle Tom’s Cabin -company up and down the land, and -Billy, gazing sadly into my open grate, -irrelevantly observed:</p> - -<p>“Yes; and that was when Tib ought -to have won her and settled down. -He was clear daffy over that girl, and -I’ll admit she was a hummer; one, you -know, that would make a man abandon -his grandmother in a blinding snowstorm -if it pleased her. But I reckon -Fate had other work cut out for Tiberius -besides spooning, love in a cottage -and no money for the iceman and all -that sort of stuff. Yes, it was fully -ten years ago that the <i>Kalanke</i> broke -her propeller.”</p> - -<p>“You are speaking of a boat?” I -inquired.</p> - -<p>“Lord bless you, yes. The <i>Kalanke</i> -was one of Lord Blam’s boats; ran -from the Coast to Australia. You see, -Tib got the bee that an Uncle Thomas -show would take in Australia like four -squaws in a no-limit game; and once -he had outlined the bill of fare, there -were plenty of us come-ons pushing -out our plates and begging for a helping. -I suppose that when it came to -the realm of pure “con” there wasn’t -a hypnotist doing a mail order business<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_197"></a>[Pg 197]</span> -that could lay it on quite so succulent -and plausible as he. Lord, we <i>had</i> to -believe him. He believed in himself.</p> - -<p>“‘Why, Harriet,’ he cried, drawing -up his dear, fat old form and looking -more honest than any real estate dealer -you ever kenned; ‘why, Harriet, don’t -linger over the paltry twelve dollars a -week I’m supposed to pay you. Don’t -even hesitate. Forget that part of it. -Imagine you are paying me for the -chance to go. Picture, if you please, -Opportunity, clean-shaven and bald-headed, -gliding by your door in a seventy-eight -horse-power gasolene romp-about -at the mirk hour of midnight -with you chloroformed and locked in -your gilded cage. Picture me with a -jiu-jitsu strangle hold on Oppo, detaining -him until you can come to, slip -into your Horse Show gown and come -down and relieve me. Then you are -feasting your magnetic orbs on truth. -Why, the people down there will be -so worked up over your “Papa, dear -papa, set Uncle Tom free,” that they’ll -wreck your hotel with showers of gold.’</p> - -<p>“She was a slim, ingrowing woman, -who always played the Little Eva parts -and was the teariest thing ever between -the wings. Clarence, her husband, -booked for Legree, balked a little -and said he’d stand a blankety, blank, -all blanks, nice chance of getting his -showers in lead after he’d massacred -Thomas. But Tib poured a little balm -into his wounds, and that was how we -came to hop the <i>Kalanke</i> for Australia.</p> - -<p>“The boat was one of Lord Blam’s -new line and was fixed up regardless. -Besides the passengers, she did quite a -freight business and carried our lots of -horses and farm implements. Our -troupe traveled second class except -Tib, who always went the limit—or -walked. Besides the company there -weren’t many passengers aboard, as it -was in the dull season; but we hadn’t -cuffed the deep blue for more than two -days before Tib met his fate.</p> - -<p>“She was the English girl, all blue -eyes, and peaches for complexion; and -Tib haunted her usual promenade like -a mosquito. She was the lord’s only -daughter and was making a flying trip -to Sydney, where her father lay ill. -She had hurried from Washington to -’Frisco and caught the boat with her -maid. The Captain was the rest of her -bodyguard. But Tib had the Captain -solid at the go-in, and through him and -his own gall he managed to speak to -Miss Mary.</p> - -<p>“She was about as approachable as -the Eiffel Tower. She was the first bit -of peerage I had ever seen traveling -alone, and I would prefer trying to get -chummy with an iceberg to speaking to -her. But a man or a woman had to be -armor plate to withstand Tib when he -put himself out, and at the end of one -day he had made her laugh; then she -got a bit interested in him and I knew -he was spinning romance.</p> - -<p>“When he got to giving his Vermont -family an old chateau environment and -spoke of the good old days at ‘The -Oaks,’ and his father’s pack of hounds, -aristocracy wanted to crawl into a safe -deposit vault and slam the door or get -scalped. He could jam more poetry -and <i>pâté de foie gras</i> breeding into his -round form and look more dreamy passion -from his pleading eyes than any -man that ever made a house believe a -bum show was a good one. He was all -right, I tell you, and if Little Eva -hadn’t butted in when we were doing -things to the equator, and asked him -to come down and play stud-poker in -the smoking-room, I reckoned he’d -have won a few plighted troths anyway. -I shall always believe he had -her clinging to the ropes when Eva -made the fatal stab.</p> - -<p>“‘Do you know those people in the -second cabin?’ demanded Her Lordship -with an eighty-two degrees north -voice.</p> - -<p>“Tib groaned and tore his brown -hair and admitted he owned us. ‘The -vase is broken,’ he cried. ‘I’ve got the -bell and it’s back to the barriers.’</p> - -<p>“Well, he felt so bad over that girl -that he almost wept. It wa’n’t her -titled papa, or the coat of arms; it was -just a case of She. When he was talking -to her he forgot he was merely a -showman. He believed all about the -old ivy-covered manse and the hounds.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_198"></a>[Pg 198]</span> -Why, I’ve even heard him call the pups -by name. And his father never owned -anything more blue-blooded than a -sheepdog.</p> - -<p>“‘Billy,’ he said to me as we -smoked down aft, ‘I never met a girl -yet I felt so soft over. I know I’m -older than she by some years, but I -keep my age locked up in the baggage-room -and we might have been happy if -not for Little Eva.’</p> - -<p>“And Miss English was mad. She -scolded the Captain for presenting Tib, -and told him her father would do things -once we’d sighted old earth. And the -Captain was on the anxious seat, for -her father was his meal ticket and had -delegated him to fetch out his daughter -O. K. But on the next night we -began to forget it, when we steamed -into the heart of a flying wedge of terrific -winds.</p> - -<p>“I decided that if ever we got ashore -it would be to have the folks come -down to the beach and look at us and -say, ‘How natural they look.’ Some -of the gingerbread works were carried -away the first night of the blow, and -whenever the wind let up a bit the live -stock would throw in a few <i>ensembles</i> -that made one pray for more breeze. -Yet the boat behaved well, and if something -hadn’t happened to the propeller -we’d have come through in rare form. -But when the chief engineer began to -parade out his kit and try to mend -things while standing on his head I -knew the game was getting serious. -Now we were bumped by every billow, -and I heard a petty officer whisper that -we were being driven far from our -course.</p> - -<p>“At last the kick stopped, or else -we’d slipped out of the storm zone, -and at about three o’clock in the morning -we dropped anchor near a dear -little island that the Captain couldn’t -name with any great degree of exactness.</p> - -<p>“The anchorage was so good and the -water so smooth that our engineer said -it would be easy to take the boat to -pieces and put it together without -losing even a shingle nail. Well, you -can indulge in a small wager that we -were all up and happy when we came -near enough to smell the land. The sky -was clear and peppered over with incandescent -lights, and Tib felt so good -that he waltzed up to the She Saxon -and observed: ‘I regret you have been -inconvenienced by the storm.’</p> - -<p>“Say, she just turned and dragged -her two sapphires up and down his -anatomy as if he were a seven-leaf clover. -Then she stabbed him four times -with as many glances and turned and -walked forward to the Captain. Cap -wheeled around with his lips pursed up -to say something unwholesome, but -seeing who it was he swallowed it, and -it hurt. Then she asked something -in a low voice and he shook his head -slowly. Then she stamped her hoof -and he seemed to give way. At last -he called a man to him and gave some -orders. The next thing we knew a -boat was dropped and she was being -rowed ashore by four sailors.</p> - -<p>“‘Isn’t it rather dangerous to let the -lady go ashore?’ asked Tib of the -Captain.</p> - -<p>“This gave the Captain a fine chance -to ease his mind, and he did it by pouring -out his whole heart to Tib in a comprehensive -flow of profanity. He -cursed Tib up hill and down, but Tib -was so round it all glanced off. Cap -told him that Miss Mary had gone -ashore to get rid of his presence. Tib -shuddered. Then the Cap reminded -him that a British skipper takes sass -from no one except the owners, and ordered -him back with the rest of us. -Another gilt braid sneaked up and told -Tib the Cap meant nothing, that he was -only feeling cross at being delayed. As -to Miss Mary, he swore she was as safe -when guarded by the four tars as she -would be on her father’s deck. Besides, -the island was probably vacant, -he added, and she would take a short -stroll on the beach beneath the stars and -then return. But Tib was uneasy. -He said no one could ever diagnose -the disposition of the average cut-up -residing on an oceanian isle. ‘Billy,’ -he concluded, ‘I’m cut to the heart. -She won’t even look at the same ocean -with me.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_199"></a>[Pg 199]</span></p> - -<p>“In about an hour’s time, just as the -sun was lazily crawling out of his bed -of blue—say, old chap, that sounds voluptuous -as well as poetic, doesn’t it?—well, -as the sun appeared there came -to our ears a loud cry from the beach, -and we could see some dots bobbing up -and down trying to act intelligent. In -two jumps the Captain shot off in a -boat, and, without seeming to touch -land, was back again on the run.</p> - -<p>“The lord’s daughter had been carried -off by the natives, was the startling -intelligence he fed out to his officers. -It seems she wanted to walk up -a little hill and get a view of the sea, -and, although the sailors protested, she -had ordered them to remain behind; -and, like idiots, they obeyed her. Then -they heard a smothered scream and ran -to the rescue, only to meet with a -shower of spears and clubs and to witness -a large band of barefooted taxpayers -making off with the skirts. One -of the sailors had his arm broken, -another had a spear through his shoulder, -and all were badly bruised and -battered. The Captain was crazy. He -ordered his men to arm and rush to -the rescue. At first he was going to -lead them, but some of his officers -soothed him down a bit and made him -see his place was with the boat. It -was not only necessary to rescue Miss -Mary, but the tub must be in condition -to carry her away when she was -recovered.</p> - -<p>“But when Tib asked permission to -join the posse the Captain broke loose -again and swore he’d have the boss in -irons. If it hadn’t been for Tib it -never would have happened, he cried. -I chipped in then and reminded him -Her Lordship was too high and mighty -to hunt for an exit just to avoid a -mere man, and I closed with the Stars -and Stripes and our consul in Australia. -This distracted his attention a bit, for -he forgot Tib in swearing at our consular -service.</p> - -<p>“‘Billy,’ groaned Tib, ‘I guess the -Cap is right, and I’m to blame for her -going ashore. But these volunteers -will never get her by hunting the -brownies with a brass band.’</p> - -<p>“Well, we put in several long hours -of waiting, and then two men returned -and said reinforcements were needed, -as the men had discovered a large village -a few miles inland, which they -didn’t dare to attack alone.</p> - -<p>“‘Guess you’d better let some of the -passengers chip into this game now,’ -advised Tib.</p> - -<p>“The Captain began to rave again, -but, seeing that the men left were -needed in making repairs, he had to -give in. Just then some more of the -crew came back to the beach and, once -aboard, panted that the colored folk -were getting aggressive and wouldn’t -even wait to be attacked.</p> - -<p>“‘To the boats, men!’ cried the Captain, -while the steward served out howitzers.</p> - -<p>“Before the order could be obeyed -the officers and the rest of the gang -rushed down to the beach. Their news -was worst of all. They said the heathens -had produced Her Lordship in view -of all and had threatened to kill her if -her friends didn’t beat a retreat.</p> - -<p>“‘If we show violence she’s lost,’ -sobbed one of the men.</p> - -<p>“The Captain was dazed. He was -brave enough and would gladly fight -to the last gasp; but he didn’t want to -recover Miss Mary dead. He tried to -mumble something about strategy, and -Tib caught it. It was the psychological -moment for him.</p> - -<p>“‘If you’ll turn the management of -this show over to me I’ll go and get -her,’ he said simply.</p> - -<p>“Some jeered him in wild anger, some -eyed him in amazement, and others -were ready to grasp at any suggestion.</p> - -<p>“‘I mean it,’ he repeated firmly, -drawing up his fat form and beginning -to radiate heart waves. ‘Force will -avail nothing, except to kill the lady. -Do as I say and let the galleries back -me and a few of my men, and I honestly -believe we can turn the riffle.’</p> - -<p>“Discipline was lost sight of as all -clamored for pointers. ‘Hoist up a -few mowing machines from the hold, -drop twice as many horses over into -the surf, while the carpenters are knocking -together a float. Then ferry the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_200"></a>[Pg 200]</span> -grass clippers ashore and have your -mechanics put them together. That’s -the scenario.’</p> - -<p>“Some said he was crazy, but I believed -he could fill his hand if they let -him alone, and the Captain asked if he -intended to palm off the mowers as -machine guns.</p> - -<p>“‘If they can’t recognize a mowing -machine you don’t expect ’em to be -conversant with Maxims, do you?’ -groaned Tib. ‘No; I’ll play ’em as -mowing machines and win out at that. -I believe they’ll be big medicine with -the natives.’</p> - -<p>“Of course the Captain pooh-poohed -the scheme. He said the niggers would -kill the lass before the paraphernalia -could be thrown together.</p> - -<p>“‘And while you’re doing nothing -and can think of nothing to do, they -may kill her,’ cried Tib. ‘And her -blood be upon your head! Mine is the -only plan that’s been advanced, and it -is practical. It’s unusual, but you -can’t impress these folks with shotguns. -It’s got to be something new in the way -of scenic effect. If I had an airship -I’d use that. But I haven’t. We can -use the mowing machines and stagger -the banditti. We can start in three -hours if you’ll only give the word. Besides, -I shall want the full chorus to -follow with their batteries. You lose -nothing, unless it be me and some of -my friends and the machines.’</p> - -<p>“‘Hoist ’em up,’ commanded the -Captain, and the gang caught Tib’s enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>“‘Now, who’s game for a little -romp?’ asked Tib gently of us actors, -his brown eyes collecting in two -needle points. ‘I want my own men -for the leading parts in this deal. Now, -who’s game?’</p> - -<p>“Of course I said I was, as I owed -him poker money. Little Eva’s husband -said if he could have one more -drink he’d play tag with the devil, and -Uncle Tom was on if he didn’t have -to black up. Tib wanted one more -operator, and a young fellow that was -coming out to hold down a stool in his -father’s branch house in Sydney agreed -to chip in if he could have time to write -something sad to his parents. Tib -reminded him the postman wouldn’t -have time to collect the mail before we -returned, and so the five of us made -ready. The Captain ached to go, but -Tib reminded him he must take command -of the rear-guard.</p> - -<p>“I was for grabbing up a papaw -root and dashing blindly into the weeds, -but Tib held us all back as he outlined -his scheme more fully. The mowing -machines would dazzle the natives, he -contended, and while he and his men -were trifling with the aborigines’ superstitions -the Captain and his bullies -were to rush in, surround the captive, -or else cover Tib’s retreat, once he had -rescued her. And say! You never saw -men work as did those boys on the -<i>Kalanke</i>. The donkey engine was -mounted in a trice and the big crates, -containing the mowing machines, intended -for peaceful pastoral scenes, -were yanked out on deck. By that time -the carpenters had put a raft together -and the clippers were soon -ashore with a bevy of mechanics impatiently -waiting to get in their -work. When the different parts of the -machines had been assembled and -joined each to his neighbor, some half-crazed -draft horses came through the -surf and were promptly caught. Then -boxes of harness were ripped open, -and there we were, as gay a cluster -of charioteers as you would meet with -outside a star production of ‘Ben -Hur.’</p> - -<p>“Tib, as the head Mazeppa, jumped -onto the first auto completed and -tested the gearing. Then with his hat -tipped jauntily over his right ear he -reminded the Captain that the crew -should loiter not too far in the rear, -but always out of sight of the enemy, -until we gave the signal to advance, -three pistol shots. Then he cried, -‘Cutter bars up!’ and away we clanked -around the base of the low hill.</p> - -<p>“We had received tips as to the -course to take, and it would have done -your heart good, sir, could you have -seen us in that bringing-in-the-sheaves -effect. We only needed wide-brimmed -straw hats, with handkerchiefs knotted<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_201"></a>[Pg 201]</span> -carelessly about our throats, to be the -village heroes in the average rural -melodrama.</p> - -<p>“The land, lucky for us, lay flat and -hard baked by the sun, once we were -around the hill. Then Tib’s good -sense in picking his own men was -demonstrated. Always in the lead as -we trundled over the hard ground, he -had only to move his hand to cause us -to catch the signal and obey. Back -of us, scuttling through the occasional -brush, was our bodyguard, and the -glint of the sun on the gun metal was -a wonderful antidote for homesickness. -In advance a fringe of woods told where -the English girl was held captive. We -expected to encounter outposts, but I -reckon the foe measured our love for -a woman by their own standard and -couldn’t conceive of a man risking his -life to save a squaw.</p> - -<p>“At last we struck the shade and -sure enough found a broad avenue between -the trees, just as the boatswain -had mapped out. Then came another -level stretch, only not so long as the -first, bounded by a slight rise. It was -just beyond this that the village was -located. We approached as slyly as we -could and cautiously gained the top -without being interrupted. Just below -us was the encampment, consisting of -several scores of low huts. They were -arranged like the spokes of a wheel, -with broad streets radiating from the -centre. The voters were having a big -powwow, and they made so much noise -that they had failed to catch the sound -of our steeds or wheels.</p> - -<p>“‘Now, children, list,’ commanded -Tib. ‘I’m going to drive straight ahead. -Billy will wend his way to the right -and pick up the first spoor, followed -by Simon Legree, who takes the second -trail. Uncle Tom takes the first left -aisle, followed by young Add Six and -Carry Two. And we’ll form a cluster, -God willing, in the centre of the exposition, -where there seems to be a -commodious green. Attention! Cutter -bars down! Forward, trot!’</p> - -<p>“And we five chauffeurs dashed into -the hippodrome in the most ridiculous -fashion. Tib bounced up and down like -a rubber ball, and to fall from the seat -meant a badly sliced up white man. -But the effect was stupendous. I -reckon the brunettes never before gazed -on such wags as we must have appeared -to be. Bang! Smash! we rode through -their rotten village, and the machines -needed oiling. Of all the rasping, clattering -noises you ever heard, sir! -Black nightmares rushed to get out -of the way as we cleaned out the -lanes.</p> - -<p>“Snip! snip! and Tib had shaved off -the corner of a mud villa. Crunch! -and Simon picked up a totem pole. -Every tooth in those five cutter bars -was working and the collateral we -chewed up didn’t do ’em a bit of good. -But, as Tib said, it was only a one-night -stand and our game was to sell tickets -and ramble away. So on we careened, -the horses wild with fright, now and -then the shears picking up a brown -toe as some devotee fell prostrate in -his flight and babbled a cast-iron -prayer to some burglar-proof god. It -simply swept them off their feet, sir. -Before they woke up we had entered -the middle square.</p> - -<p>“And if there wasn’t Her Lordship, -trussed up between two poles, white as -death!</p> - -<p>“‘If you’ll pardon the bucolic style -of my turnout, dear lady, I should be -felicitated to have you accompany me -back to the ship,’ cried Tib cheerily -as he slashed her free and held her so -she would not fall. And during it all -he was apparently oblivious to the -frescoes of black faces staring in stupid -awe in the background.</p> - -<p>“‘Can it be I’m saved!’ she whimpered, -brushing back her twenty-two-carat -hair with an uncertain gesture.</p> - -<p>“‘Tut, tut,’ cried Tib heartily as he -took her hand and tripped a merry -morris toward his chariot. ‘I guess -there’s no danger. These people are -simply crude in their deportment and -evidently believed you some wandering -goddess and would detain you -awhile.’</p> - -<p>“‘You are a brave and a good man,’ -she choked.</p> - -<p>“‘I guess your hosts think me the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_202"></a>[Pg 202]</span> -devil. Excuse me, lady,’ salaamed -Tib.</p> - -<p>“‘Never a man took greater risk,’ -she murmured.</p> - -<p>“‘An Uncle Tom’s Cabin company, -lady, will take any risk, or anything -outside a church,’ replied Tib. ‘Whoa, -Montezuma. Now hop up here on my -knee. These bronze pieces will come -to their senses in a second.’</p> - -<p>“And when Her Lordship jumped -up into his arms the wonder-stricken -gang gave a howl and came out of their -trance. We countermarched in those -rigs so that Tib had the lead when we -quit the plaza, but not before one big -buck, attired in a war club and a workmanlike -spear, gave a grunt of disapproval -and raised his trowel behind -Tib’s back. I had been expecting one -of them would draw to that card, and -while his arm was pulled back I pinked -him from the hip, and the sunlight was -turned off so far as he was concerned. -But they didn’t mind crowding into -hell so long as they could regain the -woman, and my shot took the Japanese -out of only one of them. And as we -swarmed up the slight rise they came -yowling along behind us, disturbing -the peace in a variety of ways. But -just as Simon Legree fired three shots -in quick succession a fringe of strained-faced -tars popped over the crest in -front, preceded by the busy end of -their repeaters. Under cover of their -diversion we gained the top and bounced -down on the other side with the neighbors -renewing their pursuit.</p> - -<p>“Just as everything began to look -cozy and homelike my pair of Jaspers -decided they were afraid of the ocean, -and, hang me, if they didn’t turn about -and caper back right in the face of the -dancing spearmen. I couldn’t hold -’em, and so I just dropped the cutter -bar and pulled out my junk, only expecting -to muss a few of ’em up before -I was registered. My friends began to -howl behind me, and I tossed a glance -over my shoulder and beheld old -Tiberius coming along after me like a -madman, his machine jumping and -swaying, and he with a big gun in each -hand yelling like a fiend. He had -tossed Her Lordship to the sailors and -was back to play in my drama. Then -the heat of it got into my blood, and as -Tib drew up beside me I gave a war -cry and urged the brutes onward still -faster.</p> - -<p>“I knew if we tried to turn we were -down and out, and that our only show -was to put up a bold front and scare -the enemy off the ridge. The sailors -were now popping away merrily, and -just as we had gone the limit the foe -threw up the sponge and scampered -back down the other side of the rise.</p> - -<p>“Maybe we were several hours retreating -to the beach! When we got -there the whole bunch fell on Tib’s -neck and pawed his round form affectionately, -the Captain leading in the -demonstration. Tib drove them away, -but when we got aboard and Her Lordship -rushed upon him and throwing both -arms about his neck, pressed her red -lips with a resounding and most plebeian -smack on his chin, you could have heard -him blush. It was the first time I had -ever known him to lose his nerve. He -made a clean break-away and bowing -low said something in a murmur and it -was all over. Of course she thanked -us all, but she realized that Tib was -the guiding light.</p> - -<p>“To ring off; we left the machines and -horses for the natives to get up guessing -parties with, and with our machinery -repaired steamed out to the open water. -Tib never made any advances to Her -Lordship after once aboard, although -she eyed him with a soft look whenever -they met on deck during the run to -port.</p> - -<p>“‘My old heart got foolish, boy,’ he -remarked to me the night we landed, -‘but it’s beating all right now.’ Yet -he always kept a handkerchief she -dropped.</p> - -<p>“And wherever the show played Tib -coined money by the barrel, for Her -Lordship’s people boomed his game -early and late. But Tib got to believing -it was because the show was -so good. For, you see, he’d explain -to me as he counted the receipts, -‘Little Eva is dying better every -night.’”</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_203"></a>[Pg 203]</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<a name="Corrupt_Practices_in_Elections" id="Corrupt_Practices_in_Elections"> </a> -<h2 class="nobreak"><i>Corrupt Practices in Elections</i></h2></div> - -<p class="center space-above1 space-below1">BY HON. LUCIUS F. C. GARVIN<br /> -<i>Ex-Governor of Rhode Island</i></p> - -<p class="drop-cap">EFFORTS to expose bribery and -other corrupt practices in elections -are met with the cry, You -are defaming the state! If there are -governmental evils, we are told, prove -them to the bottom and correct them -quietly. Such a course may be feasible -if applied to a private business, -but in public affairs, in the nature of -the case, it cannot be successful. Certainly -none of the persons who directly -profit by such practices will correct -them—not the “respectable” men of -means who furnish the funds and who -do so with a view to recouping themselves -in some way as a result of the -election; not the workers who handle -the corruption fund, taking good care -to see that they themselves are rewarded -for the trouble and risk involved; -not the individuals who pocket -the money disbursed, and in this way -become always morally, and often -criminally, confederates; nor, finally, -the few who secure the offices through -fraudulent methods. In fact, nothing -has been found effective outside of that -strongest of all influences in a free -country, the force of public opinion. -The many, who are made aware of the -iniquity by suffering from it, have -every inducement to end it.</p> - -<p>Over and over again, in great crises, -the American people have shown themselves -to be patriotic, honest and wise. -This has happened whenever the masses -have been aroused by serious threats -of danger, either external or internal.</p> - -<p>The real danger to our institutions -lies, not in great crises, but rather in a -gradual, almost insensible, deterioration -of the government, due either to a -lack of vigilance on the part of the -people or to a paralysis of their latent -powers.</p> - -<p>While it is possible that the immense -fund of good will and good sense possessed -by the American people may be -expended in private pursuits and thus -diverted from a control of their own -government, the far greater danger is -that the mighty influences being put -forth at almost every election will rupture -completely the natural dependence -of public officials upon the electorate.</p> - -<p>In order to cure any wrongdoing it -is needful, first, to ascertain definitely -wherein the wrong consists, and, secondly, -to fix with equal definiteness -upon an adequate remedy.</p> - -<p>The crudest, the most demoralizing -and the most common method of withholding -the hands of the sovereign -people from the control of their government -is the direct bribery of voters. -This means of thwarting the wishes of -the majority dates back to the early -history of the country. Our system of -so-called majority election by districts, -placing, as it often does, the balance of -power in a small minority of the electorate, -invites the purchase of the votes -of individuals. It has proved easy -both to estimate the number of votes -needed to turn the scale and to find -out the particular voters who can be so -influenced.</p> - -<p>Upon the original plan of buying -individual voters at retail, the improvement -has been made of purchasing <i>en -bloc</i>—the money to be paid over only -in case of delivery of the goods. In -this modern bribery by wholesale the -venal voters organize, choose an agent -to conduct negotiations and sell the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_204"></a>[Pg 204]</span> -entire block of votes to the highest bidder. -When success is achieved, as -shown by the count of the ballots, hundreds -of dollars are paid to the agent -and by him distributed to the members -of the gang.</p> - -<p>But, whatever the details of the -transaction, a long experience has -shown that, in a multitude of small -constituencies a few dollars placed in -the hand of a voter are sufficient to -outweigh every consideration of patriotism -or enlightened self-interest. -Wherever this habitually occurs, the -rule of a few moneyed men has been -substituted for a government by the -people.</p> - -<p>In the elections of large cities, of -populous states and of the nation at -large, it can seldom happen that bribery -of voters, either by retail or wholesale, -is sufficient to alter the result. -To supply this deficiency other means -are more and more being resorted to. -To assure success, where the number -of voters renders the simpler measure -for overcoming the people’s will unreliable, -party managers now make use -of finesse and fraud.</p> - -<p>The finesse consists in “packing” the -primary meetings and conventions of -the rival party for the purpose of nominating -weak opposing candidates. -Nearly every local party may be differentiated -into two factions, both desirous -of success, but the one occupying -morally a very much higher plane than -the other. The rich party, taking advantage -of this division in the ranks -of its opponents, furnishes funds and -votes to aid the baser faction, upon -condition, of course, that, having gained -control of the nomination, candidates -will be put up of such a character as -to drive away the better element from -their support.</p> - -<p>In consequence of these manipulations, -when election day comes around, -the poorer party is found with a so-called -“yellow dog” ticket in the field—that -is to say, a ticket composed of -unfit and unknown men, clearly inferior -to the pliant respectabilities who have -been placed in nomination by the richer -party.</p> - -<p>It sometimes happens that even this -political trick fails to assure success. -Either the better faction of the opposing -party wins, or, notwithstanding -the inferiority of the ticket named, it -may promise to receive a majority of -the votes cast. In this exigency the -managers of the party which is fully -supplied with the sinews of war do -not hesitate at direct fraud. That is -to say, they expend large sums of -money in hiring election officials to -betray their trusts at the risk of going -to jail.</p> - -<p>One method adopted, where the law -provides an official ballot, is to get -from the officials having charge of the -ballots one or more to be marked for -the voter by heelers outside of the -polling-room. This furnishes a sure -method of bribery, for the venal voter, -after depositing the ballot thus prepared -for him, returns an unmarked -ballot to the briber, as a guarantee of -good faith, to be marked by him for -the use of the next person bought. In -this way one or more endless chains -of purchased votes may be run all day, -through the connivance of some election -officer. This was done in Pawtucket, -R. I., and at other places in -that state, on the eighth of last -November.</p> - -<p>But as the number of venal voters -in a polling precinct is limited, so there -is a limit to the effect attainable by -giving out to heelers the official ballots -designed for use in the voting booth -only.</p> - -<p>What more, then, can be done in the -way of modern chicanery and criminality?</p> - -<p>Election officers may be bought, and -are bought, to defraud their fellow-citizens -in a variety of ways. For instance, -there is a very considerable percentage -of illiterate voters in most -states, many of whom desire to give -their suffrage to the candidates of one -of the poorer parties. But the richest -party has paid the election officials, -who assist the illiterate voters, to -mark all such ballots for its candidates. -Evidence exists that this was done -systematically at the recent Presidential<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_205"></a>[Pg 205]</span> -and state election in the city of Providence, -R. I., a sufficient number of -voters thus being deceived to turn the -scale in the filling of one or more important -offices.</p> - -<p>Inasmuch as there is a limit to the -number of illiterate voters, even that -base fraud, added to direct bribery, -may not effect the desired reversal of -the people’s will. But the moneyed -party has other resources.</p> - -<p>In order to annul votes already cast -for opposing candidates, it may hire -the election officers to make additional -marks upon the ballots before they -are counted. In this way in the city of -Providence, R. I., at the last election -many votes for Augustus S. Meller, the -Democratic candidate for mayor, were -rendered void—fortunately, however, -not in sufficient numbers to prevent -his election.</p> - -<p>And not even yet has the corrupted -election officer reached the full extent -of his ability to defraud. It still is -possible for him to miscount votes; or -he may announce the result falsely—for -example, by revising the total number -of votes given to the candidates, -when the real majority proves to be -adverse to his suborned wishes.</p> - -<p>In case there is a Returning Board, -whose duty it is to make a second and -final count of the votes cast, as is the -law in the city of Providence and the -state of Rhode Island, that board, too, -or its controlling members, may be -partisan and corrupt.</p> - -<p>At the late election in Rhode Island -all the ballots for state officers and -for Presidential electors were in possession -of a partisan Returning Board, -of which the chairman of the Republican -State Central Committee was -the head, for a period of three full -weeks before the counting began. If -there were miscounts in certain voting -districts on election day, it was easily -possible for members of that Returning -Board to open the sealed packages -of ballots, make such changes as were -necessary in order to have the ballots -conform roughly to the previously -announced figures, and then to reseal -without the fraud being detected.</p> - -<p>But, it may be asked, where are -the courts while such frauds are being -perpetrated? Why are not these criminal -election officers punished? Unfortunately, -the courts, too, are frequently -partisan, especially the lower -courts, before which the cases are first -brought.</p> - -<p>After the election of last November -in Rhode Island, three cases were -brought before the inferior courts—one -for bribery, one for posing as an -illiterate voter and one against an -election officer in charge of a ballot-box -for allowing the deposit by voters -of sham instead of official ballots. -Each of these causes was brought before -a different local judge, and all were -thrown out of court. Several days -before election it was known that -immunity had been promised to hesitating -and apprehensive election officers. -“The Republican Party controls -the courts,” they were told, “and -would see that no punishment was -meted out to them for unlawful acts.”</p> - -<p>It is needless to say that, if corrupt -practices in elections continue to increase, -the end of popular government -in this country is in sight. Already -there exists a widespread and deep-seated -distrust of the result of elections. -Instances could be given, occurring -within the past ten years, in -which a very large proportion of the -voters interested, perhaps a majority -of those voting, believe that the wrong -candidate was inducted into office.</p> - -<p>Certainly no duty is more pressing -than to see to it that in every election -the unbiased and unbought will of the -people be recorded.</p> - -<p>Is there a remedy? And, if so, what -is it? My conviction is, that we only -need to carry out the intent of the -founders of this government. They -blazed the way; we must make a clear -and beaten track along that way.</p> - -<p>By a republican form of government -the Revolutionary statesmen -meant two things, which now are not -carried out. They meant that every -state, and the nation as well, should -possess a legislative body, representative -of the will of the people. Nowhere<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_206"></a>[Pg 206]</span> -does this exist, not even where honest -elections assure a free ballot and a fair -count. Neither in ability nor in -opinion do state legislatures by their -acts represent a majority of their constituents, -except by accident. Nor -will they represent the people until -each political party, whether large or -small, elects its due proportion of the -members. That is to say, a party -which casts forty-five per cent. of the -total vote for representatives must -have forty per cent. of the legislature, -and the party which casts five per cent. -of the total vote must have five per cent. -of the legislature. Then only will -statute law be framed in accordance -with the will of a majority of the -people.</p> - -<p>The other part of our republican -form of government, as understood and -intended by American statesmen of -the eighteenth century, was that a majority -of the people should directly -control the organic law. To this end -they had the state constitutions framed -by the people, acting through delegates -chosen to conventions for that sole purpose, -but not in effect until submitted -to the electors and adopted by a majority -of the votes cast for and against. -In like manner the referendum was -provided for in case of subsequent -amendments.</p> - -<p>It was thought, also, that a popular -initiative for constitutional changes -was created, in the authority given to -legislatures to submit amendments; -but, alas, time has shown that those -legislatures, being unrepresentative of -the people, refuse to submit amendments, -however extensively demanded -by public sentiment.</p> - -<p>Hence the necessity of giving the -power to propose constitutional amendments, -as has lately been done in -South Dakota, Utah and Oregon, to a -reasonable minority (in those states -eight per cent.) of the voters. When -the popular initiative shall thus have -been added to the referendum already -existing for making changes in the organic -law of our states, all else will -take care of itself.</p> - -<p>The amendment pending in the -Rhode Island Legislature, and known -there as the constitutional initiative, -reads in substance as follows:</p> - -<p class="blockquot">Eight per cent. of the legal voters of the -state may propose specific and particular -amendments to this constitution by filing -with the Secretary of State, not less than -three months nor more than nine months -prior to any state election, a petition that -the electors may, at such election, cast their -ballots for or against such amendments. -Any proposition thus made shall be submitted -to the electors by the Secretary of -State at said election, and, if then approved -by a majority of the electors of the state -present and voting thereon, it shall, ninety -days thereafter, become a part of the Constitution -of the state.</p> - -<p>To elect a legislature in any state -committed to such an amendment calls -for not only a widespread but an aggressive -public sentiment in its favor. -As a rule the organization of the party -dominant in the state will strenuously -oppose the adoption of the amendment.</p> - -<p>A party continuously in power, no -matter what its name or avowed principles, -is sure to frown upon radical -measures. The complete control of the -organic law of a state by a majority of -its voters means a future political situation -hitherto unknown. The effect -upon present party leaders and upon -partisan organizations cannot be foreseen -in full, but that it will be tremendous -no one can doubt.</p> - -<p>But if the individuals, who are enjoying -the state offices, are opposed to -a political upheaval of any kind, the -parties which are permanently in the -minority feel very differently. Their -organizations and their members will -welcome any reasonable reform which -promises to alter materially the existing -unsatisfactory situation. Also -in sympathy with a reform so meritorious -and non-partisan would undoubtedly -be found a considerable -portion of the adherents of the dominant -party.</p> - -<p>Yet even with a clear majority of the -voters of any state earnestly in favor -of a given amendment to the constitution, -it does not follow that its adoption -would be easy. In every state, with -scarcely an exception, it is the party<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_207"></a>[Pg 207]</span> -whose membership comprises nine-tenths -of the total wealth, which, with -few brief and partial interruptions, -controls every department of the government. -For the past decade this -has been the situation more than ever -before, and every year finds the power -of money to determine the results of -elections gaining in strength—notwithstanding -a rising public sentiment -against abuses which are ignored, if -not encouraged, by the authorities.</p> - -<p>The situation seems almost hopeless, -as is very near being the case, if the -reforming elements pursue for the future -the same course as in the past.</p> - -<p>If the leader of the party in power -were permitted to dictate the action of -opponents, his command would be: -“Divide your forces.” Its boss would -say: “Split among yourselves into several -separate and distinct parties, attack -one another with the same virulence -that you attack me. Call yourselves -Democrats, Populists, Socialists, -Prohibitionists, Labor, and have whatever -platforms or principles you please. -In fact, the stronger and nobler the -men and the issues over which the -small parties wave their banners the -better I am pleased, for the more minute -will be the subdivision and the -more attractive and combative each -fractional part.”</p> - -<p>And these hopelessly minor parties -offer few inducements to the dissatisfied -members of the major party to -change their political affiliations. Such -a transfer is altogether too much like -removing one’s bed on a bitter cold -night from a warm room to a vacant -lot. Discomforts, and even hardships, -patriotic citizens may be willing to endure, -but they can scarcely be blamed -for refusing to embrace them merely -for the fun of being come-outers.</p> - -<p>In order to contend successfully -against the party in power, however -well known its abuses, there must be a -co-operation of the dissatisfied and antagonistic -voters. By co-operation it -is not meant that an attempt should be -made to create a single party with a -platform composed of the planks of -half a dozen parties. Such a composite -is but a rope of sand; and, in fact, the -stringing together of a collection of unrelated -questions, such as prohibition, -socialism and labor, is quite as likely to -end in mutual hostilities as in a combined -charge upon the common enemy.</p> - -<p>The use of money for carrying a -state election by corrupt practices can -only be offset by the exercise of great -wisdom on the part of those who depend -upon other agencies. The second -party, which in the Northern states -generally means the Democratic, must -furnish the nucleus about which the -third, fourth and fifth parties gather. -Indeed, it devolves upon the second -party to invite the other minor parties -to join forces with it. And, in order -to have such invitation accepted, it -must fix upon one or two paramount -issues so fundamental and important -as to attract strongly all who are offended -with the doings of the party -in power. If two issues are elected, -one of them may well be a constitutional -amendment such as has been -outlined in this article, the other might -be a legislative measure—such, for instance, -as direct primaries, which serve -excellently the purpose of a corrupt -practices act.</p> - -<p>Each of the minor parties, besides -educational work, wishes to preserve -its organization and to measure its -strength at each succeeding election by -the number of votes cast in its support. -The wish is natural and proper; but -the objects aimed at can be accomplished -in a state election without putting -full tickets into the field. The -nomination and support of a single -candidate for a minor state office will -fully answer both purposes.</p> - -<p>The means of stopping most surely -and speedily corrupt practices by the -party in power, lies in an open and -aboveboard fusion of all its opponents -upon a few issues, together with a -united support of one set of candidates -for all offices whose incumbents can aid -or hinder the adoption of the measures -agreed upon. This, I believe, offers -the best chance of accomplishing the -very difficult task of establishing in a -state good and pure government.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_208"></a>[Pg 208]</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<a name="Pole_Baker" id="Pole_Baker"> </a> -<h2 class="nobreak"><i>Pole Baker</i></h2></div> - -<p class="center space-above1 space-below1">BY WILL N. HARBEN<br /> -<i>Author of “The Georgians,” “Abner Daniel,” etc.</i></p> - -<h3>CHAPTER I</h3> - -<p class="drop-cap">THE planter alighted from the -dusty little train under the -crumbling brick car-shed at -Darley, turned his heavy hand-luggage -over to the negro porter and -walked across the grass to the steps -of the Johnston House. Here he was -met by Jim Thornton, the dapper -young clerk, who always had a curled -mustache and hair smoothed flatly -down over his brow.</p> - -<p>“Oh, here you are, right side up, -Captain Duncan!” he cried. “You -can’t stay away from those level -acres of yours very long at a time.”</p> - -<p>“No, Jim.” The short, thick-set man -smiled as he took the extended hand. -“As soon as I heard spring had opened -up here we left Florida. I had a bad -case of homesickness. My wife and -daughter came a week ago. I had to -stop on business in Jacksonville. I -always want to be here in planting -season; my men never seem to know -exactly what I want done when I am -away. Jim, I’ve got a lot of land out -there between the river and the mountains.”</p> - -<p>“I reckon you have,” laughed the -clerk as he led his guest into the hotel -office. “There’s a neighbor of yours -over there at the stove, old Tom -Mayhew, who runs the big store—Mayhew -& Floyd’s—at Springtown.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I know him mighty well,” -said Duncan. “How are you, Mayhew? -What are you doing away from -your beat? I thought you’d be behind -your counter such fine weather as this.”</p> - -<p>“Trade’s dull,” said the merchant, -who was a tall, spare-made man about -sixty-five years of age, with iron-gray -hair and beard. “Farmers are all at -the plow, and that’s where they -ought to be if they expect to pay -anything on their debts this fall. I -had to lay in some stock, and so I ran -down to Atlanta day before yesterday. -My young partner, Nelson Floyd, -usually does the replenishing, but the -books got out of whack, and I left him -to tussle with them; he’s got a better -head for figures than I have. I’ve just -sent to the livery-stable for a horse -and buggy to take me out; how are you -going?”</p> - -<p>“Why, I hardly know,” answered -the planter as he took off his straw -hat and wiped his bald head with a -silk handkerchief. “I telegraphed -Lawson, my head overseer, to send -somebody to meet me, and I was just -wondering——”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you’ll be attended to all -right, Captain Duncan!” said the -clerk, with a laugh as he stood at the -register behind the counter. “Pole -Baker was in here last night asking if -you had arrived. He said he had -brought a buggy and was going to -drive you back. You will make it all -right if Pole sobers up long enough to -get out of town. He was thoroughly -‘how-come-you-so’ last night. He was -in Askew’s bar raising holy Cain. -The marshal ordered Billy to close at -twelve, but Pole wouldn’t hear to it, -and they were within an inch of having -a fight. I believe they would if -Mrs. Johnston hadn’t heard them and -come down. Pole has more respect for -women than most men, and as soon -as he saw her at the door he hushed up -and went to bed.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_209"></a>[Pg 209]</span></p> - -<p>“He’s as straight as a shingle this -morning, Captain,” put in Charlie -Smith, a mulatto porter, who was -rolling a pair of trucks across the room -laden with a drummer’s enormous -brass-bound trunk. “He was up -before day asking if you got in durin’ -the night.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m glad he’s sobered up if -he’s to take me out,” said the planter. -“He’s about the biggest daredevil -out our way. You know him, don’t -you, Mayhew?”</p> - -<p>“Know him? Humph! to the extent -of over three hundred dollars. Floyd -thinks the sun rises and sets in him -and never will close down on him. -They are great friends. Floyd will -fight for him at the drop of a hat. He -says Pole has more manhood in him -to the square inch than any man in the -county, white or black. He saw him -in a knock-down-and-drag-out row in -the public square last election. They -say Pole whipped three bigger men -than he is all in a bunch, and bare-handed -at that. Nobody knows to this -day how it started. Nelson doesn’t, -but I heard it was some remark one of -the fellows made about Nelson himself. -You know my partner had a rather -strange start in life—a poor boy with -nobody to see to his bringing up, but -that’s a subject that his best friends -don’t mention to him.”</p> - -<p>The Captain nodded understandingly. -“They tell me Pole used to be -a moonshiner,” he said, “and I have -heard that he was the shrewdest one -in the mountains. His wife got him -to quit it. I understand he fairly worships -the ground she walks on, and -there never was a better father to his -children.”</p> - -<p>“He thinks well enough of them -when he’s at himself,” said Mayhew, -“but when he’s drinking he neglects -them awfully. I’ve known the neighbors -to feed them two weeks on a -stretch. He’s got enemies out our way. -When he quit moonshining he helped -some of the government officers find -some stills over there. That was funny. -Pole held off from the job that was -offered him for a month, during which -time he sent word everywhere through -the mountains that he would give all -his old friends plenty of time to shut -up and quit making whisky, but after -his month was up he intended to do -all he could against law-breakers. He -had to testify against several, and they -now certainly have it in for him. He’d -have been shot long ago if his enemies -weren’t afraid of him.”</p> - -<p>“I see him coming now, Mr. Mayhew,” -said the clerk. “Captain, he -walks steady enough. I reckon he’ll -take you through safe.”</p> - -<p>The tall countryman, about thirty-five -years of age, without a coat, his -coarse cotton shirt open at the neck, -a slouch hat on his massive head -and his tattered trousers stuffed into -the tops of his high boots, came in. He -had a brown, sweeping mustache, and -his eyebrows were unusually heavy. -On the heel of his right foot he -wore an old riding-spur, very loosely -strapped.</p> - -<p>“How are you, Captain Duncan?” he -said to the planter as he extended his -brawny hand. “You’ve come back to -God’s country, eh?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Baker,” the planter returned -with a genial smile; “I had to see what -sort of chance you fellows stand for a -crop this year. I understand Lawson -sent you over for me and my baggage. -I’m certainly glad he engaged a man -about whom I have heard such good -reports.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t know about that, -Captain,” said Pole, his bushy brows -meeting in a frown of displeasure and -his dark eyes flashing. “I don’t know -as I’m runnin’ a hack-line, or totin’ -trunks about for the upper-ten set of -humanity. I’m a farmer myself, in a -sort of way—smaller’n you are, but a -farmer. I was comin’ this way yesterday, -and was about to take my own -hoss out o’ the field, where he had -plenty to do, when Lawson said, said -he, ‘Baker, bein’ as you are goin’ to -make the trip anyways, I’d feel under -obligations ef you’d take my rig and -fetch Captain Duncan back when you -come.’ By gum, to tell you the truth, -I’ve just come in to tell you, old hoss,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_210"></a>[Pg 210]</span> -if you are ready right now, we’ll ride -out together, if not I’ll leave you -an’ go out with Nathan Porter. Engaged, -the devil! I’m not goin’ to get -any money out o’ this job.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I meant no offense at all, -Baker,” said the planter in no little -embarrassment, for the group was -smiling.</p> - -<p>“Well, I reckon you didn’t,” said -Pole, slightly mollified, “but it’s always -a good idea fer two men to know -exactly where they stand, and I’m -here to say I don’t take off my hat to -no man on earth.”</p> - -<p>“That’s the right spirit,” Duncan -said admiringly. “Now, I’m ready -if you are, and it’s time we were on -the move. Those two valises are mine -and that big overcoat tied in a bundle.”</p> - -<p>“Here, Charlie!” Pole called out to -the porter, “put them things o’ Duncan’s -in the back end o’ the buggy, an’ -I’ll throw you a dime the next time -I’m in town.”</p> - -<p>“All right, boss,” the mulatto said, -with a knowing wink and smile at -Mayhew. “They’ll be in by the time -you get there.”</p> - -<p>While the planter was at the counter, -saying good-bye to the clerk, Pole -looked down at Mayhew. “When are -<i>you</i> goin’ out?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“In an hour or so,” answered the -merchant as he spat into a cuspidor. -“I’m waiting now for a turnout, and -I’ve got some business to attend to.”</p> - -<p>“Collections to make, I’ll bet my -hat,” Pole laughed. “I thought mighty -few folks was out on Main Street jest -now; they know you are abroad in the -land an’ want to save the’r socks.”</p> - -<p>“Do you reckon that’s it, Pole?” -said Mayhew as he spat again. “I -thought maybe it was because they was -afraid you’d paint the town, and -wanted to keep their skins whole.”</p> - -<p>The clerk and the planter laughed. -“He got you that time, Baker,” the -latter said, with a smile.</p> - -<p>“I’ll acknowledge the corn,” and -the mountaineer joined in the laugh -good-naturedly. “To look at the old -skinflint, settin’ half asleep all the time, -a body wouldn’t think his tongue had -any life to it. I’ve seed the dern thing -wiggle before, but it was mostly when -thar was a trade up.”</p> - -<h3>CHAPTER II</h3> - -<p>As they were driving into the country -road, just beyond the straggling houses -in the outskirts of the town, going toward -the mountains, which lay along -the western horizon like blue clouds -nestling against the earth, the planter -said:</p> - -<p>“I’ve seen you fishing and hunting -with Mayhew’s young partner, Nelson -Floyd. You and he are rather intimate, -are you not?”</p> - -<p>“Jest about as friendly as two men -can be,” said Pole, “when one’s rising -in the world an’ t’other is eternally at -a standstill, or goin’ down like a round -rock on the side of a mountain. Or -maybe, I ought to say, when one of -’em has had the pluck to educate hisself -an’ t’other hardly knows B from a -bull’s foot. I don’t know, Captain, -why Nelson Floyd’s friendly to me. I -like him beca’se he is a man from his -toe-nails to the end o’ the longest hair -on his head.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve heard a lot of good things -about him,” remarked the planter, -“and I understand, too, that he has -his faults.”</p> - -<p>“They’re part of his manhood,” -said Pole philosophically. “Show me -a feller without faults and I’ll show -you one that’s too weak to have ’em. -Nelson’s got some o’ the dust o’ the -broad road on his coat, an’ yet I’d take -his place in the general bust-up when -old Gabe blows his trumpet at the millennium -a sight quicker than I’d stand -in the shoes o’ some o’ these jack-leg -preachers. I tell you, Captain Duncan, -ef the Lord’s goin’ to make favorites -o’ some o’ the long-face hypocrites I -know, that is robbin’ widows an’ -orphans in the week an’ prayin’ an’ -shoutin’ on Sunday to pull the wool -over folkses’ eyes, me an’ Him won’t gee -in the hereafter. You know some’n -about that boy’s start in life, don’t you, -Captain?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_211"></a>[Pg 211]</span></p> - -<p>“Not much, I must own,” answered -the planter.</p> - -<p>“Thar it is!” said Pole, with a condemning -sneer; “ef the pore boy had -belonged to one o’ the big families in -yore ring out in Murray—the high an’ -mighty sort, that owned niggers, you’d -’a’ heard all about him. Captain, nobody -on earth knows how that feller -has suffered. All his life he’s wanted -to make some’n of hisself an’ has -absolutely to my certain knowledge -had more to contend with than any -man alive today. He don’t even know -the exact date of his birth, an’ ain’t -plumb sure that his name really is -Floyd. You see, jest at the close of the -war a woman—so sick she could hardly -walk—come through the Union lines -in East Tennessee with a baby in her -arms. The report is that she claimed -that her name was Floyd, an’ that she -called the baby ‘Nelson.’ She put up -at a mountain cabin for the night, a -shack where some pore razor-back -whites lived by the name o’ Perdue. -Old man Perdue was a lyin’, treacherous -scamp, a bushwhacker and a -mountain outlaw, an’ his wife was a -good mate to him. Nelson’s mammy, -as I say, was tuck in, but thar wasn’t -no doctor nigh, an’ very little to eat, -an’ the next mornin’ she was ravin’ out -of her head, and late that day she died. -I’m tellin’ you now all that Nelson -Floyd ever was able to find out, as it -came down to him from one person’s -recollection to another’s. Well, the -woman was buried som’ers, nobody -knows whar, an’ old Mrs. Perdue kept -the baby more beca’se she was afeared to -put it out o’ the way than fer any pity -fer it. She had a whole litter of brats of -her own goin’ about winter an’ summer -in the’r shirt-tails, an’ so they left -Nelson to scratch fer hisself. Then -the authorities made it hot fer Perdue -on some charges agin ’im, and he left -the child with another pore mountain -family by name o’ Scott and moved -clean out o’ the country. The Scotts -couldn’t remember much more than -hearsay about how Nelson got thar an’ -they didn’t care, though they tried to -raise the boy along with three of their -own. He had a tough time of it, for -he was a plucky little devil and had a -fight mighty nigh every day with somebody. -And as he growed up he naturally -fell into bad company, or it fell -into him, like everything else did, an’ -he tuck to drinkin’ an’ become a regular -young outlaw; he was a bloodthirsty -rowdy before he was fifteen; -shot at one man fer some cause or -other an’ barely escaped bein’ put up -fer life—nothin’ but bein’ so young -got ’im off. But one day—now I’m -givin’ it to you jest as Nelson told me—one -day he said he got to thinkin’ -about the way he was a-goin’, and of his -own accord he made up his mind to -call a halt. He wanted to cut clean off -from his old set, an’ so he went to -Mayhew and told him he wanted to git -work in the store. Old Mayhew would -skin a flea fer its hide an’ tallow, an’ -seein’ his money in the boy, he bound -’im to an agreement to work fer his -bare board an’ clothes fer three -years.”</p> - -<p>“Low enough wages, certainly!” -exclaimed the planter.</p> - -<p>“Yes, but Nelson didn’t grumble, -and Mayhew will tell you hisself that -thar never was sech a worker sence the -world was made. He was a general -hand at ever’thing, and as bright as -a new dollar and as quick as a steel -trap. The Lord only knows when or -how he did it, fer nobody ever seed a -book in his hands in business hours, -but he l’arned to read and write and -figure. An’ that wasn’t all. Mayhew -was sech an old skinflint, and so -hard on folks who got in his debt, that -nobody traded at his shebang except -them that couldn’t go anywhars else; -but lo and behold! Nelson made so -many friends that they flocked around -’im from all directions an’ the business -of the house was more than doubled at -a jump. Mayhew knowed the cause of -it, fer lots o’ customers throwed it up -to ’im. The prosperity was almost too -much fer the old skunk; in fact, he got -mighty nigh scared at it and actually -tried to dam the stream o’ profit. To -keep up such a business big credit had -to be extended, and it was a new venture<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_212"></a>[Pg 212]</span> -fer the cautious old scamp. But -Nelson had perfect faith in all his -friends, and thar it stood—a beardless -boy holdin’ forth that it was the old -man’s chance fer a lifetime to git rich, -and old Mayhew half believin’ it, -crazy to act on Nelson’s judgment, an’ -yet afraid it would be ruination. That -was at the close of the boy’s three-year -contract. He was then about twenty -year old, and I was in the store and -heard the talk between ’em. We was -all a-settin’ at the big wood stove in -the back end, me an’ the old man, an’ -Nelson and Joe Peters, a clerk, who -is still with the firm. I shall never -forgit that night as long as I live. -I gloried in the boy’s spunk to sech -an extent I could ’a’ throwed up my -hat an’ hollered.</p> - -<p>“‘I’ve been waitin’ to have a talk -with you, Mr. Mayhew,’ Nelson said. -‘Our contract is out today, and you -an’ me disagree so much about runnin’ -the business that I hardly know what -I ought to do an’ not stand in my own -light. We’ve got to make a fresh contract -anyway.’</p> - -<p>“‘I knowed that was comin’,’ old -Mayhew said, with one o’ his big, -hoggish grunts. ‘People for miles -around have made it the’r particular -business to fill you up with ideas about -what you are wuth. I’ve thought some -about lettin’ you go an’ see ef me an’ -Joe cayn’t keep things a-movin’, but -you know the trade round here, an’ I -want to do the fair thing. What do -you think yore time’s wuth?’” Pole -laughed. “The old skunk was usin’ -exactly the same words he’d ’a’ used -ef he was startin’ in to buy a load o’ -produce an’ wanted to kill expectation -at the outset.</p> - -<p>“‘I want fifty dollars a month, under -certain conditions,’ the boy said, lookin’ -the old skinflint straight in the -eye.</p> - -<p>“‘Fifty—huh! yo’re crazy, stark’ -starin’ crazy—plumb off yore base!’ -the old man said, his lip twisted up -like it is when he’s mad. ‘I see myse’f -payin’ a beardless boy a Broadway -salary to work in a shack like this out -here in the mountains.’</p> - -<p>“‘Well, I’ll jest be obliged to quit -you then,’ Nelson said as steady as -a millpond on a hot day in August, -’an’ I’d sorter hate to do it. Moore & -Trotter, at Darley, offer me that fer -the fust six months, with an increase -later.’</p> - -<p>“‘Moore & Trotter!’ the old skunk -grunted loud enough to be heard clean -to the court-house. They was the only -firm in this end o’ the state that controlled -as much custom as Mayhew -did, an’ it struck the old chap under -the ribs. He got up from his chair an’ -walked clean down to the front door. -It was shet an’ locked, but thar was a -lamp on the show-case nigh whar he -stopped, an’ I could see his old face -a-workin’ under the influence o’ good -an’ evil. Purty soon he grunted, an’ -come back, thumpin’ his old stick agin -barrels an’ boxes along the way.</p> - -<p>“‘How am I goin’ to know whether -they offered you that much or not?’ -he axed.</p> - -<p>“‘Beca’se I said so,’ Nelson told -’im, an’ his dark eyes was flashin’ like -lightnin’. He stood up an’ faced the -old codger. ‘I’ll tell you one thing, -Mr. Mayhew,’ he let fly at ’im, ’ef -you don’t know whether I’m tellin’ -the truth or not you’d better let me -go, fer a man that will lie will steal. -I say they offered me fifty dollars. -I’ve got the’r written proposition in -my pocket, but I’ll be hanged ef I -show it to you.’”</p> - -<p>“Good!” exclaimed Duncan.</p> - -<p>“Well, it knocked the old man clean -off his feet,” Pole went on. “He sat -down in his chair again, all of a -tremble an’ white about the mouth. -Stingy people git scared to death at -the very idea o’ payin’ out money, -anyway, an’ stingy don’t fit that old -cuss. Ef Noah Webster had known -him he’d ’a’ made another word fer that -meanin’. I don’t know but he’d simply -’a’ spelled out the old man’s name an’ -’a’ been done with it.”</p> - -<p>“What answer did Mayhew give the -young man, Baker?” asked the planter -in a tone which indicated no little interest.</p> - -<p>“Why, he jest set still for awhile,”<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_213"></a>[Pg 213]</span> -said Pole, “an’ me an’ Joe Peters was -a-wonderin’ what he’d say. He never -did do anything sudden. Ef he ever -gits thar he’ll feel his way through -heaven’s gate. I seed ’im keep a -woman standin’ in the store once from -breakfast to dinner-time while he was -lookin’ fer a paper o’ needles she’d -called fer. Every now an’ then he’d -quit huntin’ fer the needles an’ go an’ -wait on some other customer, an’ then -come back to ’er. She was a timid -sort o’ thing, an’ didn’t seem to think -she had the right to leave, bein’ as she -had started the search. Whenever -she’d go towards the door to see ef her -hoss was standin’, he’d call ’er back -an’ ax ’er about ’er crap an’ tell ’er -not to be in a hurry—that Rome wasn’t -built in a day, an’ the like. You know -the old cuss has some education. -Finally he found the needles an’ tuck -another half an hour to select a scrap -o’ paper little enough to wrap ’em up in. -But you axed me what Mayhew said to -’im. You bet the boy was too good a -trader to push a matter like that to a -head. He’d throwed down the bars, an’ -he jest waited fer the old man to go -through of his own accord. Finally -Mayhew axed, as indifferent as he -could under all his excitement, -‘When do you intend to answer the -letter you say you got from Moore & -Trotter?’</p> - -<p>“‘I’ve already answered it,’ Nelson -said. ‘I told ’em I appreciated the’r -offer an’ would run over an’ see ’em -day after tomorrow.’”</p> - -<p>“Good, very well said, Baker!” -laughed Captain Duncan. “No wonder -the young man’s become rich. You -can’t keep talent like that down. But -what did old Mayhew say?”</p> - -<p>“It was like pullin’ eye-teeth,” answered -Pole, “but he finally come -across. ‘Well,’ said he, ‘I reckon you -kin make yorese’f as useful to me as -you kin to them, an’ ef you are bent on -ridin’ me to death, after I picked you -up an’ give you a start an’ l’arnt -you how to do business, I reckon I’ll -have to put up with it.’</p> - -<p>“‘I don’t feel like I owe you anything,’ -said Nelson as plucky as a -banker demandin’ good security on a -loan. ‘I’ve worked for you like a slave -for three years for my bare livin’ an’ -my experience, an’ from now on I am -goin’ to work for Number One. I said -that I’d stay for fifty dollars a month -on certain conditions.’</p> - -<p>“‘Conditions?’ the old man growled. -‘What conditions do you mean?’</p> - -<p>“‘Why, it’s jest this,’ said Nelson. -‘I’ve had my feelin’s, an’ the feelin’s o’ -my friends, hurt time after time by you -turnin’ folks off without credit when -I knowed they would meet the’r obligations. -Now, ef I stay with you it is -with the distinct understandin’ that -I have the authority to give or refuse -credit whenever I see fit.’</p> - -<p>“That knocked the old man off his -perch agin. He wilted an’ sat thar as -limp as a dish-rag. Joe Peters worships -the ground Nelson walks on, an’ -as ’feard as he was o’ the old man, he -busted out in a big chuckle, an’ rubbed -his hands together. Besides he knowed -the boy was talkin’ fer the interest o’ -the business. He’d seed no end o’ good -customers sent off fer no reason in the -world than that Mayhew was scared o’ -his shadow.</p> - -<p>“‘I’ll never consent to <i>that!</i>’ Mayhew -said, mighty nigh clean whipped -out.</p> - -<p>“‘Well, Moore & Trotter <i>will</i>,’ Nelson -said. ‘That’s one o’ the things laid -down in the’r proposition.’ An’ the -boy went to the desk an’ drawed out a -sheet o’ paper an’ dipped his pen in the -ink. The old man set quivering awhile, -an’ then got up an’ went an’ stood behind -the boy. ‘Put down yore pen,’ -said he, with a sigh from away down -inside of ’im. ‘It would ruin me fer -you to go to Darley—half the trade -would follow you. Go ahead; I’ll keep -you an’ run the risk.’”</p> - -<p>The planter had been listening attentively, -and he now said admiringly: -“Even at that early age the boy was -showing what developed later. It -wasn’t long after that before he became -the old man’s partner, I believe.”</p> - -<p>“The next year,” answered Pole. -“He saved every dollar of his wages,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_214"></a>[Pg 214]</span> -and made some good investments that -turned out money. It wasn’t a big -slice of the business at fust, but he now -owns a half, an’, countin’ his outside -interests, he’s wuth a great deal more -than old Mayhew. He’s rich already, -Captain.”</p> - -<p>“So I’ve heard the women say,” -smiled the planter. “Women always -keep track of well-to-do unmarried -men.”</p> - -<p>“It hain’t spiled Nelson one bit, -though,” added Baker. “He’s the -same unselfish friend to me as he ever -was, and I hain’t hardly got a roof to -cover me an’ mine. But, as solid as he -always was, he had a serious back-set -about three years ago, and all his well-wishers -thought it was goin’ to do him -up.”</p> - -<p>“You mean when he took to drinking,” -said Captain Duncan interrogatively.</p> - -<p>“Yes, that’s what I mean. He’d -formed the habit when he was a boy, -and, along with his prosperity an’ late -work hours, it begun to fasten its claws -on ’im like it has on some other folks -I know, Captain. He had a lot o’ night -work to do, an’ Thigpen’s bar was right -j’inin’ the store. Nelson used to slide in -at the back door whenever the notion -struck ’im, and he made the trail hot, -I tell you. Old Mayhew kept a sharp -eye on ’im, an’ ever’ now and then he’d -git powerful blue over the way things -was a-goin’. Finally the old cuss got -desperate an’ called a halt. He had a -straight talk with Nelson, an’ told ’im -they would have to divide the’r -interests, that he wasn’t a drinkin’ -man hisse’f, an’ he didn’t want to be -yoked to one that was soaked half the -time. It fetched the boy to his senses. -He come over to my house that night -an’ called me out to the fence.</p> - -<p>“‘I want to make a deal with you, -Pole,’ said he.</p> - -<p>“‘With me?’ says I. ‘What sort of -a deal?’</p> - -<p>“‘Why,’ said he, ‘I’ve made up my -mind to swear off fer good an’ all, an’ -I want you to j’ine me.’</p> - -<p>“I agreed all right,” Pole laughed. -“In fact, I was sorter in that business. -I’d promised every preacher an’ temperance -worker in the county to quit, -an’ I couldn’t refuse a friend what I -was dispensin’ so freely right an’ left. -So I said, said I, ‘All right, Nelson; -I’m with you.’”</p> - -<p>“And how did it come out?” questioned -the planter as he bowed to a -wagon full of farmers going in an opposite -direction.</p> - -<p>“His vaccination tuck,” Pole smiled. -“He had a mighty sore arm fer a week -or so, but he held out. As fer me, I -was so dern glad to see his success in -abstainin’ that I started in to celebrate. -I did try at fust, though. One mornin’ -I went in the store an’ seed Nelson have -sech a clean, prosperous look an’ so well -satisfied with his stand that I went out -with fresh resolutions. What did I do? -I went to the barroom an’ bought four -pint bottles o’ red rye an’ tuck ’em -home with me. I set ’em all in a -straight row on the mantel-shelf, nigh -the edge, in front o’ the clock, an’ was -standin’ lookin’ at ’em when Sally, my -wife, come in. She seed the display -an’ jest set kerflop down in her chair -an’ begun to whimper.</p> - -<p>“‘You hold on,’ said I; ‘don’t you -cross a foot-log till the tree’s down. -I’m tryin’ a new dicker. I’ve always -heard that familiarity breeds contempt, -an’ I’ve also heard that the hair -o’ the dog is good fer the bite. Now, -I’ve tried my level best to quit liquor -by stayin’ away from it an’ I’m a-goin’ -to see ef I cayn’t do it with its red eye -on me all the time.’ Well, Captain, the -sweet little woman—she’s a sweet, dear -little creature, Captain Duncan, ef I -do say it myself.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve always heard so, Baker,” the -planter said. “She’s very popular -with your neighbors.”</p> - -<p>“An’ I’m jest t’other way,” said -Pole. “Well, Sally, she got up an’ -kissed me, an’ said that somehow she -felt like my plan would work.”</p> - -<p>“And did it—I mean,” the Captain -recalled Pole’s spree of only the night -before, “I mean did it work for any -length of time?”</p> - -<p>“I was goin’ on to tell you,” answered -the mountaineer. “That night<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_215"></a>[Pg 215]</span> -fer the fust time sence my marriage I -woke smack dab in the middle o’ the -night, an’ as I laid thar in the room -filled with moonlight I couldn’t see -a blessed thing but that row o’ bottles, -an’ then my mouth set in to waterin’ -at sech a rate that I got afeard I’d -ketch my death from sleepin’ on a wet -pillow. It was certainly a struggle -with the flesh. I’d put my thirst, -when she’s good an’ dry, agin any that -ever tickled a human throat. It ’ud -take the blue ribbon at a state fair. -It’s a rail thing; it kin walk an’ talk -an’ kick an’ squirm, but it won’t be -dictated to. Finally Sally woke up -an’ said:</p> - -<p>“‘What’s the matter, Pole? Hain’t -you comfortable?’</p> - -<p>“‘Comfortable, the devil!’ said I. I’m -usually polite to Sally, but I felt like -that wasn’t no time an’ place to talk -about little matters. ‘Comfortable, -nothin’,’ said I; ‘Sally, ef you don’t -take that “dog-hair” out o’ this house -an’ hide it, I’ll be as drunk as a b’iled -owl in ten minutes.’</p> - -<p>“’“Dog-hair?”’ said she, an’ then the -little woman remembered an’ got up. -I heard the bottles tinkle like sorrowful -good-bye bells callin’ wanderin’ -friends back to the fold as she tuck ’em -up an’ left. Captain, I felt jest like”—Pole -laughed good-naturedly—“I felt -like thar was a plot agin the best -friends I ever had. I actually felt -sorry fer them bottles, an’ I got up -an’ stood at the window an’ watched -Sally as she tuck ’em away out in the -lonely moonlight to the barn. I seed -’er climb over the fence o’ the cow-lot -an’ go in the side whar I kept my hay -an’ fodder an’ roughness fer my cattle. -Then I laid down in bed agin.”</p> - -<p>“That was certainly a courageous -thing to do,” said the planter, “and -you deserve credit for putting your -foot down so firmly on what you felt -was so injurious, even, even—” the -Captain came back again to reality—“even -if you did not remain firm very -long afterward.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ll tell you one thing,” the -ex-moonshiner laughed again, and his -eyes twinkled in subtle enjoyment, -“it tuck Sally longer, it seemed to me, -to git to sleep after she got back than -it ever had in all her life. Of all times -on earth she wanted to talk. But I -shet ’er off. I made like I was breathin’ -good an’ deep an’ then she set in -too. What did I do? Captain Duncan, -I spent the best half o’ that night -out in the barn lookin’ fer hens’ nests. -I found two an’ had to be put to bed -at sun-up.”</p> - -<p>The planter laughed heartily. -“There is one good thing about the -situation, Baker,” he said, “and that -is, your making a joke of it. I believe -you will get the under-hold on the -thing some day and throw it over. -Coming back to your friend Floyd; it’s -a fact that he gave up whisky, but if -reports are true, he has another fault -that is almost as bad.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you mean all that talk about -Jeff Wade’s sister,” answered the -mountaineer.</p> - -<p>“Yes, Baker, a reputation of that -sort is not a desirable thing in any -community. I know that many brainy -and successful men hold that kind of -thing lightly, but it will down anybody -who tampers with it.”</p> - -<p>“Now, look here, Captain,” Pole -said sharply, “don’t you be plumb -foolish! Ain’t you got more sense -’an to swallow everything that -passes amongst idle women in these -mountains? Nelson Floyd, I’ll admit, -has got a backbone full o’ the -fire o’ youth an’ strong-blooded manhood, -but he’s, to my positive knowledge, -one o’ the cleanest young men I -ever come across. To tell you the -truth, I don’t believe he ever made -but that one slip. It got out, an’ -beca’se he was rich an’ prominent, it -raised a regular whirlwind o’ gossip -an’ exaggeration. If the same thing -had happened to half a dozen other -young men round about here, not a -word would ’a’ been said.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I see!” smiled the planter. -“He’s not as black as he’s painted, -then?”</p> - -<p>“Not by a jugful!” said the farmer. -“I tell you he’s all right, Captain, an’ -folks will know it ’fore long.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_216"></a>[Pg 216]</span></p> - -<h3>CHAPTER III</h3> - -<p>Springtown was about twelve miles -west of Darley, only a mile from -Captain Duncan’s house, and half a -mile from Pole Baker’s humble cottage -and small farm. The village had -a population of about two hundred -souls. It was the county seat; and -the court-house, a simple, ante-bellum -brick structure, stood in the centre of -the public square, round which were -clustered the one-storied shops, lawyers’ -offices, cotton warehouses, hotel -and general stores.</p> - -<p>Chief among the last mentioned was -the well-known establishment of Mayhew -& Floyd. It was a long frame -building, once white but now a murky -gray, a tone which nothing but the -brush of time and weather could have -given it.</p> - -<p>It was only a week since Captain -Duncan’s talk with Pole Baker, and a -bright, inspiring morning, well suited -to the breaking of the soil and the -planting of seed. The village was agog -with the spirit of hope. The post-office -was filled with men who had -come for their mail, and they stood -and chatted about the crops on the -long veranda of the hotel and in the -front part of Mayhew & Floyd’s store. -Pole Baker was in the store talking -with Joe Peters, the clerk, about seed-potatoes, -when a tall countryman in -the neighborhood of forty-five years of -age slouched in and leaned heavily -against the counter.</p> - -<p>“I want a box o’ forty-four cartridges,” -he said, drawing out a long -revolver and rapping on the counter -with the butt of it.</p> - -<p>“What! you goin’ squirrel huntin’?” -Peters laughed and winked at Pole. -“That gun’s got a long enough barrel -to reach the top o’ the highest tree in -these mountains.”</p> - -<p>“You slide around behind thar an’ -git me them cartridges!” retorted the -customer. “Do yore talkin’ to somebody -else. I’ll hunt what an’ whar -I want to, I reckon.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, come off yore perch, Jeff -Wade!” the clerk said, with another -easy laugh. “You hain’t nobody’s -daddy. But here you are. Forty -cents a box, full count, every one warranted -to make a hole an’ a noise. -Want me to charge ’em?”</p> - -<p>“No, I don’t; by God—I don’t! An’ -what’s more, I want to know exactly -how much I owe this house. I went -to a dozen money lenders ’fore I found -what I wanted, but I got it an’ I want -to pay what I owe Mayhew & Floyd.”</p> - -<p>Just then Pole Baker stepped up to -the man’s side and, peering under the -broad brim of his hat, said:</p> - -<p>“Looky here, Jeff Wade, what you -shootin’ off yore mouth fer? I ’lowed -at fust that you was full, but you -hain’t drinkin’; at least, you don’t -seem that way to me.”</p> - -<p>“Drinkin’, hell! No, I’m not drinkin’, -an’ what’s more, I don’t intend to -let a drap pass down my throat till -I’ve done my duty to me an’ mine. -Say, you look an’ see ef I’m drinkin’. -See ef you think a man that’s in liquor -would have as steady a nerve as I’ve -got. You watch me! Maybe it’ll -show you what I’m able to do.”</p> - -<p>Turning, he stalked out of the store, -and Peters and Pole followed, watching -him in wonder. He strode across the -street to the court-house, loading his -revolver as he went. Reaching the -closed door of the public building he -took an envelope from his pocket and -fastened it to the panel by thrusting -the blade of his big pocket-knife into -it several times. The spectators heard -the hollow, resounding blows like the -strokes of a carpenter’s hammer, and -then Wade turned and came back toward -them.</p> - -<p>“By gum, he’s off his nut!” said -Peters seriously. “He’s as crazy as a -bedbug.”</p> - -<p>“It’s my opinion he’s jest comin’ to -his senses,” Pole mused, a thoughtful -look in his eyes. “Yes, that’s about -it; he’s jest wakin’ up, an’ the whole -county will know it, too. By gum, I -hate this—I hate it!”</p> - -<p>“You hate what?” asked Peters, his -eyes on the farmer, who was now quite -near them. Pole made no reply, for -Wade was by his side on the brick<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_217"></a>[Pg 217]</span> -walk beneath the wooden shed in front -of the store, his revolver swinging at -his side.</p> - -<p>“You fellows keep yore eye on that -envelope,” said Wade, and he cocked -his revolver.</p> - -<p>“Look here, don’t make a dern fool -o’ yorese’f,” said Pole Baker, and he -laid a remonstrating hand on the tense -arm of the gaunt mountaineer. “You -know it’s agin the ordinance. You -know you’ll git into trouble; you listen -to the advice of a friend. Put that -gun up an’ go home.”</p> - -<p>“I’m my own boss!” snarled the -man with the weapon.</p> - -<p>“You’re a blamed fool too,” answered -Baker.</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s my lookout.” Wade -glared over his shoulder and raised -his voice significantly: “I want to show -this town how easy it will be fer me -to put three balls into the blackest -heart that ever pumped human blood.”</p> - -<p>“You’d better mind what yo’re -about, Jeff Wade.” Pole Baker was -pale, his lips were tight, his eyes flashing.</p> - -<p>“I know what I’m about. I’m tryin’ -to draw a coward from his lair. -I’m not shore—I’m not <i>dead</i> shore, -mind you, but I’m mighty nigh it. Ef -the guilty stand an’ hear what I’m -a-sayin’ an’ don’t take it up, they are -wuss than hell-tainted. You watch -that white mark.”</p> - -<p>The bystanders, several comprehending, -stood rigid. Pole Baker -stared. Wade raised his revolver, -aimed steadily at the mark and fired -three shots in quick succession.</p> - -<p>“Thar!” said the marksman, with -grim triumph, “as bad as my sight is, -I kin see ’em from here.”</p> - -<p>“By gum, they are thar!” exclaimed -Peters, with a strange look into Pole -Baker’s set face. “They are thar, -Pole.”</p> - -<p>“You bet they are thar, an’ some’ll -be in another spot ’fore long,” said -Wade. “Now, Peters, you go in the -house an’ bring me my account. I’ve -got the money.”</p> - -<p>Wonderingly the clerk obeyed. Pole -went into the store behind him, and, -as Peters stood at the big ledger figuring, -Pole stepped up to Nelson Floyd, -who sat near a window in the rear with -a newspaper in front of him.</p> - -<p>“Did you hear all that, Nelson?” the -farmer asked.</p> - -<p>“Did I? Of course I did; wasn’t it -intended for—?” The young merchant -glanced furtively at Peters and paused. -His handsome, dark face was set as -from some inward struggle.</p> - -<p>There was a pause. Peters went toward -the front, a written account drying -in the air as he waved it to and fro.</p> - -<p>“I was about to ask you if—?” the -young merchant started to say, but -he was interrupted by Baker.</p> - -<p>“Hush, listen!”</p> - -<p>There was the sound of clinking -coin on the counter below. The bell -on the cash-drawer rang as the clerk -put the money away.</p> - -<p>“Thar, I’m even with this dirty -shebang!” It was Jeff Wade’s raised -voice. “An’ I kin act when the proper -time comes. Oh, you all know what -I’m talkin’ about! Nobody kin hide -a thing in these mountains. But -you’ll all understand it better ef it -ever comes into yore families. I never -had but one little sister—she was all -the Lord ever allowed me to have. -Well, she was married not more’n a -month ago, an’ went off to Texas -with a man who believes in ’er an’ -swears he will make her a good husband -an’ protector. But no sooner -was the pore little thing gone than the -talk set in. It was writ out to her, -an’ she writ back to me to stop it. -She admitted it was true, but wouldn’t -lay the blame. Folks say they know, -but they won’t talk. They are afeared -o’ the influence o’ money an’ power, -I reckon, but it will git out. I have -my suspicions, but I’m not dead sure, -but I will be, an’ what I done fer that -scrap o’ paper I will do fer that man, -ef God don’t paralyze this right arm. -Ef the black-hearted devil is within -the sound o’ my voice at this minute, -an’ stays still, he’s not only the thief -of a woman’s happiness, but he’s wuss -than a coward. He’s a sneakin’ -son——”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_218"></a>[Pg 218]</span></p> - -<p>Nelson Floyd, his face rigid, sprang -up and went into Joe Peters’s little -bedroom, which was cut off in one -corner of the store. Opening the top -drawer of an old bureau, he took out -a revolver. Turning, he met the -stalwart form of Pole Baker in the -doorway.</p> - -<p>“Put down that gun, Nelson; put -it down!” Pole commanded. “Jeff -Wade’s deliberately set this trap to -draw you into it, an’ the minute you -walk down thar it will be a public -acknowledgment, an’ he’ll kill you ’fore -you can bat an eye.”</p> - -<p>“No doubt,” said Nelson Floyd; -“but the fellow has his rights. I -could never draw a free breath if this -passes. I owe it to the poor devil, -Pole, and I’ll pay. That has always -been my rule. I’ll pay. Stand aside!”</p> - -<p>“I’ll be damned ef I do!” Pole stood -his ground firmly. “You must listen -to reason. It’s deliberate death.”</p> - -<p>“Stand out of the way, Pole; don’t -make me mad,” said Floyd. “I’m -goin’ down. I’d expect him to pay -me, and I shall him.”</p> - -<p>“Stop! you are a fool—you are -a hot-headed idiot, Nelson Floyd! -Listen to me”—Pole caught the revolver -and held on to the barrel of it, -while the young merchant clutched -the butt—“listen to me, I say. -Are you a-goin’ back on a helpless little -woman who gets married to a man -who believes in her an’ goes away off -an’ is on a fair road to happiness—are -you, I say, a-goin’ to publicly advertise -her shame, an’, no doubt, bust up -a contented home?”</p> - -<p>“Great God, Pole!” exclaimed -Floyd as he sank on to the edge of -Peters’s bed, “do you think, if I give -him satisfaction, it will——?”</p> - -<p>“Will it? It will be in every paper -from Maine to California. Meddlesome -devils will mark the articles an’ mail -’em to the gal’s husband. A lot o’ -folks did the’r level best to bust up -the match anyway, by talkin’ to him -about you an’ others.”</p> - -<p>Nelson Floyd stared at the floor -and slowly nodded his head.</p> - -<p>“He’s caught me in a more degrading -trap than the other would -have been, Pole,” he declared bitterly. -“My conduct has branded me as a coward -and left me without power to -vindicate myself. That’s one of the -ways Providence has of punishing a -poor devil. He may have a good -impulse, but can’t act upon it owing -to the restrictions laid on him by his -very sins.”</p> - -<p>Pole looked down into the store.</p> - -<p>“Never mind,” he said gloomily. -“Wade’s gone.”</p> - -<p>Floyd dropped the revolver into the -drawer of the bureau and went back -to his desk.</p> - -<p>“It’s only a question of time, Pole,” -he said. “He suspects me now, but is -not sure. It won’t be long before the -full story will reach him, and then we’ll -have to meet. As far as I am concerned, -I’d rather have had it out -with him. I’ve swallowed a bitter -pill this mornin’, Pole.”</p> - -<p>“Well, it wasn’t a lead one.” -Baker’s habitual sense of humor was -rising to the surface. “Most any sort -o’ physic is better’n cold metal shoved -into the system the wrong way.”</p> - -<p>There was a step in the store. Pole -looked down again.</p> - -<p>“It’s old Mayhew,” he said. “I’m -powerful glad he was late this mornin’, -Nelson. The old codger would have -seed through that talk.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, he would have seen through -it,” answered Floyd despondently as -he opened a big ledger and bent over -it.</p> - -<p>Mayhew trudged toward them, his -heavy cane knocking against the long -dry-goods counter.</p> - -<p>“I’ll have the law on that fellow!” -he growled as he hung his stick on its -accustomed nail behind the stove. -“No rampageous daredevil like that -can stand right in my door and shoot -for mere amusement at the county -court-house. This isn’t a fort yet, and -the war is over, thank the Lord.”</p> - -<p>Pole glanced at Floyd.</p> - -<p>“Oh, he’s jest a little hilarious this -mornin’, Mr. Mayhew,” he said. “He -must ’a’ met a mountain whisky wagon -on his way to town. Anyways, you<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_219"></a>[Pg 219]</span> -needn’t complain; he come in here jest -now an’ paid off his account in -full.”</p> - -<p>“What? Paid off? Is that so, Nelson?”</p> - -<p>Floyd nodded, and then bent more -closely over the ledger. “Yes, he -paid up to date.”</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s queer—or I am, one -or the other. Why, boys, I had that -fellow on my dead-list. I didn’t think -he’d ever raise any money, and if he -did I had no idea it would drift our -way.”</p> - -<p>Floyd left the desk and reached for -his hat. Pole was watching him -closely.</p> - -<p>“Post-office?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Yes.” The two walked part of the -way to the front door and paused. -Joe Peters was attending a man on the -grocery side of the house, and a young -woman neatly dressed, with a pretty -figure and graceful movement, stood -waiting her turn.</p> - -<p>“By gum,” Pole exclaimed under -his breath, “that’s my little neighbor, -Cynthia Porter—the purtiest, neatest -an’ best little trick that ever wore a bonnet. -I needn’t tell you that, though, -you old scamp. You’ve already found -it out. Go wait on ’er, Nelson. -Don’t keep ’er standin’ thar.”</p> - -<p>Pole sat on a bag of coffee and his -friend went to the girl.</p> - -<p>“Good morning, Miss Cynthia,” he -said, his hat in his hand. “Peters -seems busy. I don’t know much about -the stock, but if you’ll tell me what -you want I’ll look for it.”</p> - -<p>Turning, she stared at him, her big -brown eyes under their long lashes -wide open as if in surprise.</p> - -<p>“Why—why—” She seemed to be -making a valiant effort at self-control, -and then he noticed that her voice was -quivering and that she was quite -pale.</p> - -<p>“I really didn’t want to buy anything,” -she said. “Mother sent me to -tell Mr. Peters that she couldn’t possibly -have the butter ready before tomorrow.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, the butter!” Floyd said, studying -her face and manner in perplexity.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” the girl went on, “she promised -to have ten pounds ready to send -to Darley, but the calves got to the cows -and spoiled everything. That threw -her at least a day behind.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, that don’t make a bit o’ difference -to us, Miss Cynthia,” the clerk -cried out from the scales, where he was -weighing a parcel of sugar. “Our -wagon ain’t going over till Saturday, -nohow.”</p> - -<p>“Well, she will certainly be glad,” -the girl returned in a tone of relief, and -she moved toward the door. Floyd, -still wondering, went with her to the -sidewalk.</p> - -<p>“You look pale,” he said tentatively, -“and—and, well, the truth is, I have -never seen you just this way, Cynthia. -Have you been having more trouble at -home? Is your mother still determined -that we sha’n’t have any more -of those delightful buggy-rides?”</p> - -<p>“It wasn’t that—<i>today</i>,” she said, -her eyes raised to his in a glance that, -somehow, went straight to his heart. -“I’ll tell you. As I came on, I had -just reached Sim Tompkins’s field, -where he was planting corn and burning -stumps, when a negro—one of Captain -Duncan’s hands—passed on a mule. I -didn’t hear what he said, but when I -came to Sim he had stopped plowing -and was leaning over the fence saying, -‘Awful, horrible!’ and so on. I asked -him what had happened and he told -me—” she dropped her eyes, her words -hung in her throat and she put a slender, -tapering, though firm and sun-browned, -hand to her lips.</p> - -<p>“Go on,” Floyd urged her, -“Tompkins said——”</p> - -<p>“He said,” the girl swallowed, “that -you and Jeff Wade had had words in -front of the store and that Wade had -shot and killed you. I—I—didn’t -stop to inquire of anyone—I thought -it was true—and came on here. -When I saw you just then absolutely -unharmed I—I—of course—it surprised -me—or—I mean——”</p> - -<p>“How ridiculous!” He laughed mechanically. -“There must be some mistake, Cynthia. -People always get things -crooked. That shows how little truth<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_220"></a>[Pg 220]</span> -there is in reports. Wade came in -here and paid his bill, and did not even -speak to me or I to him.”</p> - -<p>“But I heard pistol shots myself away -down the road,” said the girl, “and as -I came in I saw a group of men right -there. They were pointing down at the -sidewalk, and one of them said, ‘He -stood right there and fired three times.’”</p> - -<p>Floyd laughed again, while her lynx -eyes slowly probed his face. He pointed -at the court-house door. “Cynthia, -do you see that envelope? Wade was -shooting at it. I haven’t been over -to see yet, but they say he put three -balls close together in its centre. We -ought to incorporate this place into -a town so that a thing of that sort -wouldn’t be allowed.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, that was it!” Cynthia exclaimed -in a full breath of relief. “I -suppose you think I’m a goose to be -so scared at nothing.”</p> - -<p>Floyd’s face clouded over, his eyes -went down. A customer was going into -the store, and he walked on to the street -corner with her before replying. Then -he said tenderly: “I’m glad, though, -Cynthia, that you felt badly, as I see -you did, when you thought I was done -for. Good-bye; I shall see you again -some way, I hope, before long, even if -your mother does object.”</p> - -<p>As they walked away out of his sight -Pole Baker lowered his shaggy head -to his brawny hands, his elbows resting -on his knees.</p> - -<p>“Fool!” he exclaimed. “Right now -with his head in the very jaws o’ death -he goes on talkin’ sweet stuff to women. -A purty face, a soft voice an’ a -pair o’ dreamy eyes would lead that -man right into the fire o’ hell itself. -But that hain’t the p’int. Pole -Baker, he’s yore friend, an’ Jeff Wade -is a-goin’ to kill ’im jest as shore as -preachin’.”</p> - -<p>When Pole left the store he saw nothing -of Floyd, but he noticed something -else. He was passing Thigpen’s bar -and through the open doorway he -caught sight of a row of bottles behind -the counter. A seductive, soothing -odor greeted him; there was a merry -clicking of billiard balls in the rear, -the joyous thumping of cues on the -floor and merry laughter. Pole hesitated -and then plunged in. At any -rate, he told himself, one drink would -steady his nerves and show him some -way, perhaps, to rescue Floyd from -his overhanging peril. Pole took his -drink and sat down. Then a friend -came in and gave him two or three -more. Another of Pole’s sprees was -beginning.</p> - -<p class="center">(<i>To be continued.</i>)</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p class="f120"><i>When Beauty Is a Fatal Gift</i></p> - -<p class="drop-cap">CRAWFORD—It seems to be impossible to convict a pretty woman of a -capital crime.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Crabshaw</span>—It wouldn’t be if they allowed women to serve on the jury.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="f120"><i>Still Hope</i></p> - -<p class="drop-cap">JAGGLES—Even the doctors can’t kill off the mosquitoes.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Waggles</span>—Perhaps they haven’t tried the same methods they use on the -human race.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="f120"><i>All for the Best</i></p> - -<p class="drop-cap">SMITH—What do you think of the outcry against the childless rich?</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Brown</span>—I don’t blame them. Look how their children turn out.</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_221"></a>[Pg 221]</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<a name="How_I_Dined_With_President_Grant" id="How_I_Dined_With_President_Grant"> </a> -<h2 class="nobreak"><i>How I Dined With President Grant</i></h2></div> - -<p class="center space-above1 space-below1">BY B. F. RILEY</p> - -<p class="drop-cap">IT was in November, 1875. At -that time I was a student in -Crozer Theological Seminary, -near Philadelphia. The country was -just rallying from the effects of a long -and disastrous war, and as the centenary -of the nation would occur the -following year, preparations were being -made for the celebration of the event -by a great exposition, which was to be -held the next year in the City of Brotherly -Love. This was the first of our -great American expositions. It will -be remembered that this was called the -Centennial Exposition.</p> - -<p>General Hawley, now a senator from -Connecticut, was made the superintendent -of this first great national undertaking -in the way of expositions. In -order to procure an adequate appropriation -from Congress, General Hawley -and the Centennial Commission conceived -the plan of bringing to Philadelphia -all the dignitaries and celebrities -from Washington. They were to -be shown the grounds and the unfinished -buildings, as well as the scope of -the mammoth undertaking. It was -further proposed that the people of -Philadelphia should give a banquet -to the distinguished visitors from -Washington. This banquet was given -in Horticultural Hall, the only building -that was sufficiently completed for -such a function. The sound of thousands -of hammers and the swish of -many saws resounded throughout the -Centennial grounds in Fairmount -Park.</p> - -<p>A magnificent train was to bring the -distinguished guests from Washington, -and it was to arrive in Philadelphia at a -given hour of the evening. President -Grant and his Cabinet, both branches -of Congress and the judges of the -Supreme Court were to constitute the -excursion. They were of course the -guests of the city of Philadelphia, and -on their arrival were driven direct -to the hotels. As might naturally be -expected, such an event and occasion -set the city all agog, and the Philadelphia -press was filled with the manner -of their coming as well as the purpose. -Public excitement ran high, and the -excursion was the subject of universal -comment.</p> - -<p>At that time I was an occasional correspondent -of two Alabama papers, one -a religious journal and the other a -secular one. Aware that this was the -most favorable opportunity I should -ever have for seeing so many of our -distinguished men, I resolved to go to -Philadelphia, and, if possible, come -into contact with them. No better -plan was suggested than to present -myself as a member of the press. I -imagined that there would not be the -slightest difficulty in accomplishing -this, and that all that was needed was -to represent myself as such, and the -opportunity sought of mingling with -the great would be at once afforded. -Decking myself in my best garb, which -was none the better for its long service, -I hied away to the city, fifteen miles -distant, on reaching which the suggestion -of a lean purse was followed in -going to a cheap boarding-house.</p> - -<p>After a scanty supper I went to the -chief hotels where the great guests were -already arriving, bought an evening -paper for two cents, and found that a -committee of citizens had been appointed -to give information to all -strangers relative to the trip and the -banquet of the next day, which committee -was to be known by the red -rosettes which they wore. I threaded<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_222"></a>[Pg 222]</span> -my way as best I could through the -jammed corridors of the hotel, jostling -with army officers in brilliant uniforms, -and elegantly dressed statesmen, -until one of the committee wearing -a rosette was found.</p> - -<p>Without apology, and perhaps in -rather an assertive way, I began in a -direct manner, telling him who I was, -what I was, and what I wanted as a -representative of the Southern press. -In reply to his question as to what -papers I represented, I frankly told -him, when he asked for my credentials. -But these were in the vocative, and so -I could produce none. He eyed me -very closely and with a distrustful -look while I sought to atone for the -absence of credentials by telling him -that, being in the city at the time of -learning fully of the event, I had not -the means of obtaining the desired credentials. -After hearing my statement -he told me that he feared nothing -could be done, and bluntly gave me to -understand that he could do nothing. -Once again I met him in the jam, but -he declined to notice me, of course.</p> - -<p>Going across the street to the other -hotel, I mingled with the crowd, and -came upon two members of the committee -standing together. I presented -my request to them, and they said that -they were members of the Philadelphia -press and gave me a most cordial -reception. When they asked for my -authority to represent the Southern -papers, and I had none, they requested -my card, but I had not even a card. -They were evidently embarrassed, for -they showed a willingness to aid me, -but found themselves unable to do so. -After some courteous explanation they -expressed regret at being unable to -serve me, and one of them handed me -his card and asked me to apply at -Centennial headquarters, on Walnut -Street, the next morning, at eight -o’clock, and said that if anything could -be done, they were sure the Commission -would be glad to do it.</p> - -<p>Some time before eight I was at the -Commission headquarters the next -morning, and when the doors were -opened I strode in, asking for the gentleman -whose name had been given me -the night before, and when I was presented -to him he looked at me with a -gaze of curiosity. I told my story as it -had been now several times repeated; -he listened with some impatience, and -asked for the credentials. He listened -to my explanation with a frown, -which indicated that he thought me a -fraud, and saying that he could do -nothing under the circumstances, -swung his chair around and gave me -no more heed, until I more than hinted -that perhaps I would be the only -correspondent present from the South, -and that I felt some consideration -was due me, especially if the Commission -cared to have the people of -the South attend on the forthcoming -exposition. The question of the -North and South was a sensitive one at -that time, and he replied that the -South could come if it desired, and -suggested that if I wished to remain -away he did not object. I replied -that the South was clearly being discriminated -against in the matter, as -representatives of the North were accorded -the consideration which I -sought. He demolished me with a -single blow when he said that they -came properly accredited.</p> - -<p>Nothing seemed left now but to -hasten to the hotels and see what -could be done there. I accosted another -member of the committee of -citizens, but in no wise succeeded. -Already the carriages were drawn up -along the side of the street for several -blocks, awaiting the pleasure of the -visitors from Washington to go out to -Fairmount Park, where the buildings -were going up. Baffled at every point -here, I stepped into the street-car and -reached the park in advance of the procession. -Here I met a medical student -from the University of Pennsylvania -whom I had met before, and I told him -of my ups and downs, very much to -his amusement.</p> - -<p>I had now practically given up the -hope of being thrown with the national -magnates, but when they began filing -through the great incomplete buildings, -and I stood with many others staring<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_223"></a>[Pg 223]</span> -at them, without distinguishing one -from the other, there came an hour of -growing anxiety, stronger than before, -to know them, at least, by sight. I -still felt within myself that I might succeed -in getting into the banquet hall. -I mentioned it to my companion, who -sought to dissuade me from any further -effort, and said that it was folly -to attempt it. But when I saw the -horses’ heads turn toward the Horticultural -Hall, I bade the medical student -good-bye, and scudded across the -park through the cutting November -wind toward Horticultural Hall, fully -half a mile away. When I reached it, -I found it strongly guarded by three -cordons of policemen, standing about -twenty yards apart, and surrounding -the building. This did not inspire -much encouragement, and nothing -seemed so far away as the possibility -of getting into the hall. Meanwhile -the carriages were arriving, and the -distinguished guests were alighting, -and going rapidly into the hall. An -eager crowd of gazers stood near -where the carriages stopped and were -looking for dear life at everyone as he -stepped from the carriages. One Congressman -raised a loud laugh when he -leaped out and said:</p> - -<p>“That other fellow is Grant!”</p> - -<p>While I was thinking what I might -do next, several members of the committee -wearing rosettes were seen -coming toward the hall. With some -difficulty I reached them, and the -many-times-told tale was repeated -about my being a correspondent from -the South, to which they listened with -interest, and said:</p> - -<p>“Why don’t you go along in?”</p> - -<p>“The policemen,” I said.</p> - -<p>“Have you a badge?”</p> - -<p>“No,” I innocently replied.</p> - -<p>“We are out of them, or we would -give you one,” one of the group said.</p> - -<p>“Come along with us, and we will -take you within the first line and send -someone out to show you in.”</p> - -<p>Within the first line of policemen -they left me, promising to see to it that -I at once be shown in. Several minutes, -that seemed hours, passed, and -apprehensions began to arise that at -last I might slip in my arrangements. -My anxiety was quickened by a burly -Irish policeman approaching me with -his club, demanding to know what I -was doing there. I assumed a great -deal of courage and replied that one of -the committee had left me there on -business; and when he threatened to -put me out, I replied rather stoutly -that he might get himself into trouble -by tinkering with the official matters -of the commission. He used some ugly -language, and said that he knew his -business, and that he would let me -stay only a few minutes longer and -turned away on his beat. He again -approached me and hinted that I had -misled him by my statement, and that -I must “get out right away.”</p> - -<p>Just at that moment a gentleman -wearing a rosette, and one whom I -had not before seen, appeared at the -entrance of the hall and was giving -some directions to policemen about the -door, when I hailed him rather unceremoniously -and laughingly told him that -I was in a fix and he must help me out, -that I was where the owl had the hen, -where I could neither back nor squall. -His face was a perfect interrogation -point as he approached me, and he -evidently thought fast while I told him -that this was a funny predicament for -a correspondent to be in. He listened -to me throughout and said:</p> - -<p>“Why, yes, this will never do,” and, -laying his hand on my shoulder, led -me within the first door, and sent someone -for somebody else to escort me into -the banquet hall.</p> - -<p>A gentleman soon appeared on the -scene and asked for that correspondent -who wanted to get in. I told him I was -the one, and he took my arm and led -me straight into the hall of banquet. -As I passed through suddenly I came -wellnigh coming into collision with -President Grant, who was standing -over a grate warming his feet. He -stared at me as though he was afraid -I might run over him, and I caught a -snatch of a conversation between himself -and another gentleman, who was -obviously twitting the President on the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_224"></a>[Pg 224]</span> -size of his feet by relating an anecdote -of a Congressman on the streets of -Washington, who was trying to trade -with a bootblack for a polish, and the -shiner of shoes said that the job was -such a big one he would have to take -it by separate contracts. At this bit -of pleasantry Grant grimly smiled and -said nothing.</p> - -<p>The improvised banquet hall was a -scene of splendor. The walls were festooned -with flags and bunting and pictures, -and the floors at the base of the -walls were adorned with flowers and -evergreens, while the long tables were -covered with gold and silver plate, cut-glass -and branching golden candelabra. -Running parallel with the wall on the -left, on a raised platform, was a long -table with sumptuous adornments -stretching at right angles to the tables -below. The seats of this elevated -table fronted those occupying the seats -on the floor. Immediately in the centre -of the table was the chair in which -John Hancock sat when he presided -over the convention which adopted the -Declaration of Independence. This antique -and high-backed piece of furniture -was overhung with silken banners -woven into appropriate designs and -a field of stars. This was the seat -provided for the President. Just in -front of him was an immense silver -laver filled with perfumes, while in the -centre was a beautifully dressed -roasted pig.</p> - -<p>When the band began playing the -guests took their seats, and I sat on -the seat within easiest reach. When I -looked over the hall I saw that I was -the only one without a badge or decoration -of some sort. Luckily for me -I had a seat near a Congressman from -Arkansas, a gentleman who had been -a Confederate brigadier. He was -warm in his greetings to a young -Southerner and took great pains to -point out to me the most distinguished -of the guests. While we were admiring -the dainty souvenirs a negro waiter -borrowed one of mine, promising to -return it soon, and when he disappeared -the Congressman said:</p> - -<p>“You shouldn’t have allowed that -rascal to fool you; he is not going to -bring that back, but wants it for someone -else.”</p> - -<p>He was correct, for I haven’t seen -the negro waiter since.</p> - -<p>The banquet lasted more than an -hour, and the effects of the champagne -were soon manifest from the increased -boisterousness of the guests. So far as -I could observe, I was the only one -who declined the wine. When the cigars -were passed the guests dived their -hands deep into the boxes and took -hands full and filled their pockets. As -I did not smoke, I took mine to the -boys at the seminary who did.</p> - -<p>The banquet being over, the toasts -began. After a neat speech by the -toastmaster, he announced the first -toast: “The President of the United -States.”</p> - -<p>It was intended that this should be -responded to by Grant, but he sat as -unmoved as a statue. Cheer after -cheer rang out, and Grant was called -for in deafening chorus, but he was -imperturbable still. My Congressman -neighbor remarked in a whisper:</p> - -<p>“Now, wouldn’t I feel ashamed to -be unable to say a word in response to -such a demonstration as this!”</p> - -<p>As the President would not reply, -the other toasts were responded to by -Chief Justice Waite, the historian Bancroft, -James G. Blaine, Senator Oliver -P. Morton and one or two others of less -distinction.</p> - -<p>The scene ended amid vociferous -songs, oaths and other expressions of -drunken disorder, which were not calculated -to inspire much respect in -the young theological student for the -law-makers and statesmen of the -country.</p> - -<p>Making my way out of the hall, I -found that it was already dark on the -outside. I boarded a street-car and -was soon on board a train going toward -Crozer, and at nine o’clock was -in my room surrounded by a host of -the boys, to whom I related the experiences -of the day, while the smokers -in the crowd smoked my fine cigars.</p> - -<p>And that is the way I dined with -President Grant.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_225"></a>[Pg 225]</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<a name="The_New_York_Childrens_Court" id="The_New_York_Childrens_Court"> </a> -<h2 class="nobreak"><i>The New York Children’s Court</i></h2></div> - -<p class="center space-above1 space-below1">BY HON. JOSEPH M. DEUEL<br /> -<i>Author of the legislation creating the Court and a Justice therein</i></p> - -<p class="drop-cap">A TRIBUNAL with an age-limit -for jurisdiction is a modern innovation. -For two years one -of that character has been passing -through an experimental stage in the -city of New York. It has fully justified -its creation. It is experimental -still, in the sense that two years have -been insufficient to exploit all its useful -possibilities. They are illimitable. -More than any in the world, the success -of this Court depends upon the personality -of the individual who wields its -powers; and, however capable, resourceful -and aspiring, he cannot be -eminently successful unless back of -him stands a strong, healthy and encouraging -public sentiment. This is -rapidly developing as parents come to -know that each justice is a willing and -enthusiastic ally, ready at all times to -join heartily with them to correct and -encourage the boy or girl who has been -tempted to go wrong, rather than an -ordinary minister of justice who measures -each infraction of law with statutory -precision.</p> - -<p>When it is widely known that the -primary object is not one of punishment, -but of municipal and communal -salvage, its possibilities for good will be -greatly enhanced. No one has ever -sat with its presiding justice through -an entire session without some expression -of satisfaction with the Court -and the controlling policy in dealing -with wayward youth. Said a minister -of the Gospel recently, at the close of -a forenoon session: “You are doing -more good than all the ministers in the -city.” This exaggerated commendation -is cited simply to show that the -experimental stage cannot be on the -wrong tack when, after careful observation, -men of intelligence give utterance -to such convictions. But every member -of the community cannot see and -judge for himself, and this article is designed -to give to all a correct idea of -the Court, why created, and its policy -in dealing with offenders. Many -strangers, upon information not first-hand, -have been somewhat severe in -criticism of a supposed sentimental -leniency; they have become warm supporters -when brought into close range -with its operations.</p> - -<p>No useful purpose will be served by -tracing the origin of the Court or singling -out and naming those who were -instrumental in its creation. It came -naturally by the process of evolution -in the matter of juvenile legislation. -Its advent was timely, for our civic -conditions, three years ago, were -breeding criminals more rapidly than -at any other time in our history; and a -court to deal solely with the source of -criminal supply was imperatively demanded. -One of the strongest arguments -at Albany for the bill was based -upon these conditions, and it was urged -that when fairly in progress the prophylactic -value of the Court would be -manifested in a reduced crime rate for -the city.</p> - -<p>No one then anticipated the volume -and character of immigrants that have -since deluged our ports. Parents -with large families of growing children -have edged into overcrowded tenement -centres, where their native tongue -is almost exclusively spoken, and have -produced unwholesome social conditions, -that destroy the American -theory of home, by packing men,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_226"></a>[Pg 226]</span> -women and children into one or two -small and ill-ventilated rooms. They -are without means of subsistence. -The market demand for their labor is -already supplied. No employment at -wages can be found, and, however -abundant in that respect may be the -prospects in other localities, here the -parents find themselves, and here they -insist on staying and taking chances. -Children swarm the streets, not only to -get sunlight and air, but to pick up -pennies, from whatever source available, -to pay rent and buy food. And -they are to become American citizens -under such circumstances.</p> - -<p>The fault is not with parents, who -are lured here by golden hopes, held -before them by competing transportation -agents, but is with the governmental -policy that permits immigration -to go on without intelligent direction. -Possibly these people cannot be -induced to go to parts of the country -where there is a demand for the kind -of labor they can give, but their -crowding into New York is working -endless mischief in the men and women -produced.</p> - -<p>The records show that boys and -girls who have lived here but a short -time, many less than a year, others -one, two and three years, get into -difficulties and find their way to the -Children’s Court, some for serious -crimes and others for contravening -state or local regulations of which -both parents and child are ignorant. -The child stays away from school to -peddle, or beg, or get money in other -ways, and, if he or she succeeds in -evading the police, is hunted by a -truant officer or runs foul of a “Gerry” -agent. Be the infractions serious or -trifling, they add materially to the -volume of child prisoners, swell the -inmates of reformatories, increase the -expense of city government and furnish -material for keeping up the army of -criminals.</p> - -<p>Dr. David Blaustein estimates that -the square mile of territory bounded -by the Bowery, Mangin, East Houston -and Cherry Streets contains a Jewish -population of 350,000, largely composed -of Russian immigrants. If it -contained no other races there would -be a superficial area for light, ventilation, -business, recreation and living -less than three yards square for each -individual. Now for results. Mr. -Coulter, Deputy Clerk of the Children’s -Court, in a published article -recently stated that twenty-six per -cent. of child prisoners were of Russian -parents, ninety-eight per cent. of them -coming from the lower East Side and -the largest majority from the square -mile above mentioned.</p> - -<p>The Italian contingent is estimated -at 400,000, which yields twenty-four -per cent. of the juvenile arrests. Russian -and Italian immigrants have a predilection -for hiving like bees rather than -for living like Americans. They have -no inclination to go to those parts of -the city where room, light and ventilation -are in abundance, but select a -locality where others speaking the -same tongue have settled. Then begins -the crowding process which drives -other races from the neighborhood. -Children run wild in the streets, form -undesirable associations and become -easy victims to rapacious Fagins -everywhere abounding. The parents -do not learn our language with any -degree of efficiency, and acquire slight -knowledge of our government, its -policies or ideals. Instances occur -daily of witnesses that have lived here -fifteen to twenty years who require an -official interpreter to give testimony.</p> - -<p>Russian and Italian nationalities -furnish more than half of the business -of the Children’s Court. It is not -wholly racial, because ordinarily the -Jew is devoted to his family, is law -abiding and is not prone to active -crime. Upon this point Mr. Coulter -calls attention to the fact that with -an estimated population of 75,000 -Jews in the Bronx that borough furnishes -but few juvenile criminals of -this race. He might have added that -such as came were of a mischievous or -trivial character except when boys -from the congested centres made -predatory excursions to that neighborhood.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_227"></a>[Pg 227]</span></p> - -<p>The statistics gathered at the Court -do not furnish data from which to -compute the length of time delinquents -have been in the city. This is -generally brought out in the course of -trial or investigation. I have before me -the trial record of several cases of -recent occurrence. In December last -Mrs. Rosie Rosenthal, of No. 329 -Stanton street, brought Isidore Weinstein -into Court and asked that he be -committed as incorrigible and ungovernable. -In the course of the proceedings -it was developed that the boy was -so bad at home in Hungary that his -parents sent him here to get rid of him. -He came in September, 1904, with a -man living in Nashville, Tenn., stopped -one night with the aunt and then went -South. Six weeks later the man -shipped the boy back to the aunt -because he was hopeless. Instead of -committing him to an institution at -an expense of two dollars a week to -the taxpayers, the whole power and -influence of the Court were bent on -having him returned to Europe.</p> - -<p>Another case was Robert Pries, who -pleaded guilty, January 13, to stealing -jewelry valued at one hundred and -fifty dollars from a guest in a city hotel -where the boy was employed. He -came from Germany alone last August -and had no relatives in this country. -He had been a bell-boy at the hotel -three days and used a pass key to commit -the offense.</p> - -<p>Raffael Basignano, illegitimate, came -from Italy last July with a friend. He -was brought up in San Malino by a -woman, not his mother, known as -Philomena. She came here, settled -at Flushing and then sent money to -pay his passage. She died before his -arrival; he drifted to New York, and -then reached the Children’s Court. -Efforts to deport these last two are in -progress.</p> - -<p>These are types of many coming -to this Court for disposition. -Taken in connection with the localities -whence comes the largest amount of -business, it may be concluded that two -factors are producing prisoners to an -extent dangerously menacing the future -good order of this city: Immigration -laws and congested tenement -centres. If there be any fault with -the former or in their administration -the remedy lies with Congress; as to defects -in the latter we must look both to -Albany and the local government for -relief. The Children’s Court is battling -against odds not anticipated -when created, and with creditable success. -Scarcely a session passes without -definite results, and a parole day -never goes by without some demonstration -of the Court’s usefulness.</p> - -<p>When the bill to create the Court -was pending, its theoretical value had -to be appraised by contrast with the -system to be displaced. Its practical -value is better understood by the same -method. In fact, no true conception -of its potency and usefulness otherwise -can be realized. Formerly all children -charged with crime, delinquency, -want of proper guardianship or found -in a state of destitution were taken to -the various police courts. In the matter -of guardianship, destitution and -some of the minor offenses the magistrates -had power to hear and determine. -In cases of felony and misdemeanor -the police court was simply a -sieve to separate those crimes and to -send the former to General Sessions and -the latter to Special Sessions for trial. -In General Sessions the cases had to -be submitted to a grand jury and, if -indicted, a trial followed before a -petty jury.</p> - -<p>There were discouraging delays. -Few were indicted and scarcely any -convicted. Those youthful offenders -on returning home unscathed became -heroes in the estimation of companions; -in their own minds they were -immune to punishment because of -superior skill and deftness. They did -not understand that escape was due to -sympathy. Each became a missionary -in crime to corrupt others; became a -chief of admiring associates and spent -his time and energy in devising methods -of pillage and robbery. In consequence -organized bands of youthful -desperadoes sprang up in various parts -of the city which were known as “de<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_228"></a>[Pg 228]</span> -gang.” A vicious boy with goodly -sums of money in his pockets to flash -before and spend upon impecunious -associates can do more moral damage -in a week than Sunday schools can correct -in a year.</p> - -<p>Ten years ago pickpockets in the -teens were a rarity; a few years later -frequent arrests made the subject somewhat -conspicuous; in 1900 the arraignment -of several in one day in the Essex -Market Court was quite usual. Several -youngsters acted in concert, each -performed some important part in the -process, and all shared in the spoils: a -small percentage satisfied the younger -lads who had slight experience in -handling money. Ready money for -theatres and cigarettes, besides something -to quiet parental inquisitiveness, -is an alluring bait to a child with slight -moral supervision and guidance—far -more fascinating than hard work or -school drudgery and with promises of -more freedom and luxury. And it is -such a simple matter to deceive unsuspecting -parents who are unable to -speak our language. Besides, the -young culprit knows how to weave -fairy tales about some alleged employer -that head off all investigations.</p> - -<p>It is charitable to assume that confiding -parents in their simple trustfulness -have no conception of the temptations -to which their children are subjected, -but the facts far too frequently -indicate supreme indifference. I have -known fathers of girls just verging into -womanhood to appear in Court and -testify that a disorderly house next -door, or in the same building one -flight down, was not a nuisance. A -father of this character whose child, -boy or girl brings home money never -cares to know its source. If the money -comes no questions are asked, or, if -asked, the answers are never verified.</p> - -<p>This kind of parent is typical of -many now coming here, and it is he or -she whose progeny furnishes business -for the Children’s Court and recruits -for the criminal ranks. The youngster -having started in with some weekly -amount to carry home had to maintain -it. If it was not available when -Saturday came desperate chances were -taken which often resulted in detection -and arrest. But conviction and -punishment were rare. Fagins multiplied -and recruits were plentiful. -Picking pockets with so many pickers -at work was a little overdone and -larceny in all its forms was studied and -operated. We soon had the youthful -burglar, highway robber, forger, till-tapper, -wagon thief and pilfering -employee.</p> - -<p>The old system was making no -headway against crime, for the simple -reason that it did not effectively -operate against the source and lacked -the requisite machinery for dealing -therewith. Sympathetic leniency was -too prevalent; the time and thought of -judges were taken up with adult cases; -little attention could be given to -restraint and supervision. Even if -these judges had the time and the -inclination they were powerless because -grand jurors failed to indict and -petty jurors could not be persuaded to -convict.</p> - -<p>Only recently a grand juror, speaking -of his work, criticized a magistrate -for sending a boy of seventeen -to trial for larceny because the amount -stolen was but a few dollars; it did not -dawn upon him that the boy was not -at fault for stealing so little; he probably -took all he could. It is the thieving -propensity in the young, not the -amount stolen, that most vitally concerns -the community. The amount, by -statute and by Court custom, is one -factor in admeasuring sentence in adult -cases; with juveniles it is inconsequential, -and in no way decisive of -treatment after conviction. This is -the spirit of the law also that permits -felonious acts to be tried as misdemeanors -if committed by children -under sixteen.</p> - -<p>Treatment wisely can be determined -only with some insight of the boy’s -disposition, knowledge of his tendencies -and information of home environment. -In other words, thieving -to some extent is a preventable evil, -and the treatment several boys should -have may vary as much as a physician’s<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_229"></a>[Pg 229]</span> -prescriptions among an equal -number afflicted with a like physical -ailment. The old judicial plan, as it -had continued for years, sent the -youngster home without a reprimand -or a warning, kept it up until all too -late a hardened and confirmed criminal -was the result, and upon him were -visited punitive and vindictive powers. -Criminal propensities are akin to -physical appetites in that they become -habits by indulgence. It is easier -to keep a boy from smoking cigarettes -than to break him of the habit after -long practice. On the same principle -a youthful offender may be checked -much easier than a hardened criminal -can be redeemed.</p> - -<p>Such were the conditions when the -Children’s Court was created, and -such were the principles upon which -it was founded. It has been in existence -and operation since September 2, -1902. Its policies, plans and methods, -while not perfect, stand in refreshing -and encouraging contrast to those that -preceded, and it is exerting power and -influence that may be measured with -some degree of accuracy and satisfaction.</p> - -<p>Instead of delay ending in failures, -we have promptness bringing results. -Children are not lugged from court to -court, often going to each several times -before a hearing; they come up for -trial not later than the day following -arrest, and they do not have to return -unless convicted; even then many are -permitted to go home with some sense -of what they have done, the reasons -making it objectionable and the consequences -sure to follow a repetition. -The quickness with which conviction -follows the commission of an offense -is of the highest importance; especially -if it be a serious crime, such as larceny, -burglary, etc. It is one of the Court’s -most valuable assets.</p> - -<p>There is a total suppression of sympathy -or sentiment during trial. The -prisoner is arraigned, the charge is explained -and then he or she must plead -guilty or not guilty. Each has the -benefit of counsel—if not employed by -a parent the Court invariably assigns -one; the trial proceeds at once if -the plea is “not guilty,” and at its -close comes acquittal or conviction. -During all this time a dispassionate -and methodical inquiry is pursued by -strict legal methods, in which the prisoner -has the advantage of every technicality -known to criminal practice. -The justice presiding is both judge and -jury. He has absolute control over -future proceedings; if there be a conviction, -therefore, he divests himself -entirely of pity or prejudice. With -him it is simply the elucidation of facts -by strict legal evidence and reaching -a conclusion that is logical and just. -There are objections and rulings, demurrers -to pleadings, motions for new -trials and motions in arrest of judgment. -Frequently some bright boy -defendant watches the progress of the -trial with interest and learns something -which, never injurious, may be -of advantage. The sad and possibly -harmful thing is that he is on trial for -a crime; and yet that one feature may -save him from a disastrous career.</p> - -<p>The time for pity, sympathy and -sentiment on the part of the justice -comes when he pronounces the defendant -guilty. Then the character and -attitude of the man upon the bench -undergo a complete change, for a duty -far transcending that of weighing facts -and reaching conclusions now devolves -upon him. This duty is to determine -what to do with the youngster who -has been convicted, and upon this -question the greatest mistakes may be -made; it is the one that weighs most -heavily on the conscience of the Court -and is the most perplexing to the judicial -mind.</p> - -<p>The controlling principle in the solution -is, what is best for the boy is best -for society; he must either be committed -to some reformatory presided -over by persons of like religious faith -as the parents, or he must be permitted -to return home. Either course may be -dangerous. To commit may blast his -future; to release may be iniquitous to -him and a positive menace to others. -In order to decide the judge must -learn all that is possible about the individual;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_230"></a>[Pg 230]</span> -his habits, disposition, associations, -reputation, home environment -and previous record. If the boy -attends school his record there is obtained; -if at work the opinion of the -employer is sought, but in a way not -to produce injury. Happily the law -upon this subject permits the Court to -get information through any channel, -not even gossip, rumor or hearsay is -excluded. In many cases several days -are necessary to gather the material -upon which the Court finally acts.</p> - -<p>The majority of the cases do not -require postponement for this purpose. -The records of the Society for the Prevention -of Cruelty to Children are so -complete and instantly available as to -enable us to know at the close of the trial -whether there has been a previous conviction, -which is of the first importance. -If there be none, a suspended sentence -or a parole generally follows, for it is -believed that with the majority better -results are obtainable through fear under -freedom than by discipline under -restraint.</p> - -<p>There is a misunderstanding in the -public mind, and unfortunately with -some of the police officers, as to “suspended -sentence.” It means that -criminal punishment is not then inflicted, -but may be the following week -or month or some time thereafter, but -will not be so long as the youngster is -of good behavior. The boys understand -that they will not be molested so -long as no bad report reaches the Court, -and the most of them act accordingly. -Quite recently several on parole for -engaging in street stone fights were -separately asked what they did during -the epidemic of stone battles that broke -out in January. They replied that -they ran home and stayed there while -the fight lasted. A suspended sentence -is quite apt to work in the same -way with most boys, for a second conviction -would surely disclose the former, -and punishment then is severe.</p> - -<p>Occasionally a boy is sent to an institution -on his first conviction as a -safeguard against parents whose depravity -and shameless indifference are -positively detrimental, and sometimes -a child is permitted to go home and -remain so long as the mother avoids -drink. Good work has been done in -both directions—the boy removed -from iniquitous surroundings, or these -mended through parental affection.</p> - -<p>A child is rarely committed for the -first offense, no matter how serious it -may be; there is a remand to the Society -for its officers to gather and report information -of the individual and environment, -and then sentence is deferred -and the child put on parole. He -goes home with an opportunity to earn -a suspended sentence by his individual -conduct, which covers a wide range. It -is intended to correct every bad trait; -evil associations are to be avoided; -staying away from home nights must -cease; conduct everywhere—in the -house, on the streets and at school—must -be exemplary. During this time -he is under the supervision of the -parole officer, to whom there must be a -report each week and at the end of the -period—four, five or six weeks—appearance -and report in Court. If a -high standard of excellence is reached, -sentence is suspended; if there is improvement, -parole is continued; if the -boy continues in his old ways, sentence -is imposed, or there may be a short -parole with certain commitment at the -end if a radical change is not shown.</p> - -<p>By these means the boy sees that -others are interested in his welfare, -and he gets encouragement in all directions, -for neighbors, noting the change, -treat him accordingly. Frequently he -gets sufficient satisfaction out of the experience -to determine that he will continue -in the same way, and in all cases -he learns what he can do by exercising -self-control; it never works harm and -often produces most gratifying results. -I mention a few as indicative of many -within the experience of every justice -holding the Court.</p> - -<p>In October last a widow had her only -child, a boy of fourteen, taken into custody -by the police for absolute incorrigibility; -he stayed out nights, associated -with bad companions, would not -work and was rude and insolent. On -the following morning the mother appeared<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_231"></a>[Pg 231]</span> -in Court to press the charge -under oath and insisted that the boy -be committed forthwith. The usual -practice was followed; the boy was remanded -to the Society and an investigation -ordered; the report confirmed -everything the mother had alleged, -and the few days of separation had in -no way changed her determination to -have the boy committed, for, as she -declared, she was completely discouraged, -and he was past redemption. -Something about the boy led me in the -opposite direction and I said to her, -“I think we had better give this young -man just one more chance,” and, turning -to him, I said, “Don’t you think so, -my boy?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Judge,” was the quick response.</p> - -<p>After some conversation with the -mother, who finally relented, a five -weeks’ parole was ordered. On the -return day both were in Court. The -boy, tidy in appearance, stood erect and -looked me manfully in the eye as he -took his place before the bench. The -parole officer’s report, in writing, told -me that immediately following parole -the boy had secured a position in a -hardware store, and by industry, attention -and intelligence had obtained a -voluntary promise of increased wages; -that he had spent his evenings, during -parole, at home, which the mother confirmed -and with moistened eyes she -added:</p> - -<p>“I could not ask for a better boy, and -we are both happy.” The boy had -found what he could do by trying, and -was satisfied. It would be difficult to -determine which was the prouder and -happier, the mother or son, as they left -Court together.</p> - -<p>A disorderly boy at school, and an -habitual truant, coming up for commitment -asked me to try him on -parole. He came back a month later -with a school certificate of 100 per -cent. in attendance and deportment. -A father brought his boy of fourteen -to Court for commitment because of -prolonged disobedience, which could -not be corrected by chastening; he was -a nuisance in the neighborhood and -the complaints sent to the house had -utterly destroyed paternal confidence. -He was put on parole against the -father’s protest. A month later the -father reported a satisfactory change, -which, as the parole officer’s report -stated, had been noticed by the neighbors. -On request the parole was continued -for a month, when the report -of father and parole officer showed -almost perfect conduct. On the -father’s special request the parole -period was extended two months. -While these are exceptional cases they -are by no means rare.</p> - -<p>From this extreme there is a gradual -shading downward to the point of -absolute hopelessness, when the subject -is turned over to the disciplinary -methods of a reformatory. During -the year 1904 out of 1,098 paroles 170, -or 15½ per cent., were subsequently -committed, which shows satisfactory -results of 84½ per cent. Nineteen -hundred and three was a trifle better -with its 1,117 paroles, of which 13⅕ -per cent. refused to be benefited. But -if one-half of the lads can be redeemed -or kept within reasonable bounds -during character formative period, the -Court will prove a success, and intelligent -citizens will regard the parole -system as worthy of continuance and -extension. It is harmful to none and -gives each a fair chance to test self-reliance -and manhood; it does not -injure the boy past redemption, but -simply postpones commitment, and -is a wholesome demonstration to him -that his misfortune is of his own choosing.</p> - -<p>The boys generally understand that -but one chance can be expected, and -coming back a second time on a -serious charge the benefit of parole will -be withheld. This is not an inflexible -rule. If there are good prospects a -second or even a third parole would -not be refused. But there must be -more than mere possibility to secure -a second and exceedingly strong assurances -for a third parole. One good -test of its beneficence is the frequency -with which parents ask that -it be extended rather than terminated;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_232"></a>[Pg 232]</span> -always on the same ground that the -boy is better behaved at home and at -school, and is more careful of his associations.</p> - -<p>There is another factor that gives -the boys considerable worry and serves -somewhat as a deterrent: the “Gerry -Society,” with its complete up-to-date -record running back for thirty years. -When the time comes for pronouncing -judgment a Society representative—one -or more always being in Court—is -called upon for the record of the boy -and his family. This is given in his -presence, and sometimes involves older -brothers or sisters. So that the -youngster goes out of Court convinced -that it is impossible to hide any misdeed. -The services of the Society and -its officers are of inestimable value in -the conduct of this Court.</p> - -<p>A feature of the Court which would -occur only to one who is a frequent -visitor and careful observer of its -proceedings is that of a practical -kindergarten in civics to those most -in need of instruction. As to offenses -involving moral turpitude—larceny, -burglary, picking pockets, etc.—the -child and the parents know the act -is wrong and why it calls for arrest and -punishment. But this is not true of -a great many arrests; possibly one-third -of those made during any year. -There are many acts forbidden in -a crowded city that would be unobjectionable -elsewhere. An arrest is -sure to bring to the Court a surprised -and indignant parent. Such acts come -under the classification <i>mala prohibita</i> -and include bonfires, ball playing, -craps, cat, throwing missiles, jumping -on and off street cars, truancy, peddling, -etc. It is for the justice to -explain why the act is condemned and -forbidden.</p> - -<p>Bonfires may be taken as an illustration. -Many arrests were made on -the day of the last election, and each -boy confessed that the fires were political. -The boys assiduously gather -fuel for days in advance and will burn -it election night, whoever is elected. -The lads were commended for political -zeal, and were asked whether they -wanted to become good or bad politicians. -The answer, of course, was -“good,” and then they were informed -that they had started out wrong, because -a good politician always studied -how to save the people from needless -expense; that fires on asphalt pavement -ruin an area that may require twenty-five, -fifty or a hundred dollars to repair, -which has to be raised by taxation, -and some portion of it each individual -boy or man must pay either directly -as a property owner or indirectly -in the increased cost of rent, clothing, -fuel, groceries and other purchases. -Other matters are explained on similar -lines, and often the eyes of some -youngster will brighten as the explanation -proceeds and at its close he will -say, “I didn’t know it was so bad; I’ll -never do it again.” Such a boy rarely -comes back on a second charge. These -explanations are not made purely for -instruction, but to inform the child -that behind all law interdicting ordinary -acts there are good reasons and -to state them so as to come within -youthful comprehension.</p> - -<p>The child is not the only beneficiary, -for the English-speaking parent absorbs -some of the information, and -each goes away knowing why it is unlawful -to build bonfires, play crap or -ball, or do other things which result in -arrest. When time permits, the non-English-speaking -parent gets his information -on these topics through the -official interpreter. To punish a child, -or through him the parent, for an -act when neither understands why -it is forbidden, is extremely distasteful; -but such instances occur, and punishment -is inflicted because it is the -only method for impressing clearly on -their minds that the act must not be -repeated.</p> - -<p>Thus far boys only have been mentioned; -but a like method of treatment -applies to girls whenever there is occasion, -which is not often. Fortunately -for the world in general and this city in -particular, the female sex is far less -prone to crime and venality. This is -specially prominent in the Children’s -Court, for, eliminating improper<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_233"></a>[Pg 233]</span> -guardianship—neither boy nor girl being responsible -therefor—girl prisoners constituted -but four per cent. of the cases. -In the police courts women make up -twenty per cent. of arrests. There were -but thirty-eight girl defendants in a -total of 1,055 larcenies, six in a total -of 2,870 disorderly conduct cases, two -in the 50 robberies, two in 197 assaults, -two in the 346 burglaries; of the three -attempts at suicide all were girls. It -may truthfully be said that womankind -is the crowning glory of the race -and the sheet-anchor of progressive -civilization.</p> - -<p>Much time is consumed with questions -of improper guardianship, of -which during the year there were 1,983 -cases; during 1903, 1,582. These complaints -are rapidly increasing, partially -because of ignorant and indifferent -aliens. But the machinery for dealing -with such matters is so much better -than formerly existed that more attention -is given to the subject. During -the year preceding the establishment -of this Court there were but 539 such -cases in the seven City Magistrates’ -courts of this division. There is greater -firmness in dealing with them than -with some transgression of the child. -While the subject of inquiry is under -sixteen years of age the cases practically -are of parental adjudication; the -fathers and mothers are on trial, and -it is one or the other that is disciplined -if the complaint is well founded. If -the evil be drink, which is true as to -many of the cases, it sometimes may -be overcome if parental affection and -desire to retain custody of the child -are well developed; if in surroundings -coming within parental means to correct -or in restraint and supervision -which parents neglect to exercise, the -objection is overcome with most parents -by a warning. While testing sincerity -and ability the child is permitted -to remain at home. In this -way children are given approximately -fair opportunity to develop proper and -becoming tendencies. The world -would be tremendously shocked if it -could know how many of its criminals, -paupers and vagrants are caused primarily -by home environment and improper -parental conduct.</p> - -<p>A short time since a visitors’ book -was opened at the Court and in it those -who remained long enough to form an -opinion have given expression thereto. -In closing I append the following -excerpts:</p> - -<p>“A life-saving station”; Morris K. -Jesup, president New York Chamber of -Commerce. “Profoundly impressed -with an institution in which there is -the highest promise”; Bishop Henry C. -Potter. “It does one good to appreciate -how great an advance has been -made as is evidenced by such courts”; -Seth Low, ex-Mayor of New York. -“The spirit of Christianity practically -expressed”; Rev. Wm. C. Bittings. -“A most pathetic and interesting -scene”; R. Fulton Cutting. “A superb -illustration of sanctified common sense -and of applied religion”; Rev. R. S. -MacArthur. “The Court is doing most -excellent work”; George L. Rives, ex-Corporation -Counsel. “A practical -application of justice and Christian -charity”; Dr. Norman Fox, ex-Mayor -of Morristown. “Impressed by the -hopefulness of the Children’s Court”; -Adolf Hartmann, Berlin. “The best -work is always the preventative work”; -Rev. W. Merle Smith. “One of the -best of the city’s methods of improving -the conditions of the future citizens of -New York”; Chas. R. Lamb. “A long -step in advance in social progress”; -Rev. Gaylord S. White. “This Court -should be better understood”; Wm. -T. Woods. “The work this Court is -doing in sustaining the discipline of -the Department of Education is invaluable”; -Frank H. Partridge. Hon. -Jacob H. Schiff, Rev. Rufus P. Johnston, -Rev. E. S. Holloway and several -other well-known citizens have visited -the Court since the book was opened, -but unfortunately their entries are so -mixed with personal compliment as to -make reproduction here inappropriate.</p> - -<p>Arguments on behalf of the Court -from those officially interested in its -success are not needed when its ordinary -sessions call forth such commendations -from representative men.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_234"></a>[Pg 234]</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<a name="What_Buzz-Saw_Morgan_Thinks" id="What_Buzz-Saw_Morgan_Thinks"> </a> -<h2 class="nobreak"><i>What Buzz-Saw Morgan Thinks</i></h2></div> - -<p class="center space-above1 space-below1">BY W. S. MORGAN</p> - -<p class="drop-cap">MUCH of our modern civilization -is nothing more than refined -savagery.</p> - -<p>The yellow metal kills more people -than the yellow fever.</p> - -<p>Harmony is simply stopping the -wheels of progress to get rid of the -noise.</p> - -<p>Saying that a thing is settled does -not settle it.</p> - -<p>All old party roads lead workingmen -to roam.</p> - -<p>Shall our financial system be American -or British?</p> - -<p>Don’t surrender until you see the -size of the enemy—and then don’t -surrender.</p> - -<p>A man must open his eyes in order -to see even as bright an object as the -sun.</p> - -<p>Corruption in the best form of -government makes it the worst of all.</p> - -<p>The trusts owe their existence to -yellow-dog politics.</p> - -<p>With the control of the currency -turned over to the bankers, it will -be in order to allow the hawks to -feed the chickens.</p> - -<p>The independent vote is a nightmare -to the yellow-dog politician.</p> - -<p>The Beef Trust is living in constant -defiance of the law. It is a greater -menace to the rights of the people -than a thousand highwaymen.</p> - -<p>Democratic statesmanship has gone -to seed, and the seed has germinated -into a howl.</p> - -<p>Jefferson and Jackson placed the -mark of Cain on bank money, and -the bankers have never been able to -remove it.</p> - -<p>The men who talk the most about -“sound money” and the “nation’s -honor” are the greatest tax-dodgers.</p> - -<p>Take the corporation lawyers out -of the important offices in this country -and about two-thirds of them would -be vacant.</p> - -<p>The banker has no more right to -regulate the quantity of currency that -shall be used by the people than he -has to limit the number of cattle that -shall be raised.</p> - -<p>Enforced poverty is taking many -a man out of the ranks of yellow-dog -politics and making an independent -voter out of him.</p> - -<p>It always gives me a pain in the -left hind foot to hear a man who -wears a hoot-owl look on his face, a -quid of tobacco in his mouth and a -double-barrel patch on the bosom -of his pants talk about “money that is -good in Yurrop.”</p> - -<p>About the only thing that Bryan -can reorganize out of the Democratic -Party is a bob-tail flush, and that -is just what the Republicans want -him to do.</p> - -<p>A stand-patter is a fellow who -is too lazy to move, or who has plenty -of feed in his own trough and doesn’t -care for anyone else.</p> - -<p>The Beef Trust might possibly -make good its plea of innocence, were -it not for the fact that it has been -“caught with the goods.”</p> - -<p>The cotton growers who met in New -Orleans in January decided that the -Wall Street “bear” was worse than -the Texas weevil.</p> - -<p>Yellow-dog politics is the spirit that -moves a man to ride to hell in a two-wheel -cart drawn by the Democratic -mule or Republican elephant, rather -than to go to heaven by the independent -route.</p> - -<p>It is gratifying to know that a real -effort is being made to “control” -the railroads. The failure of such an<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_235"></a>[Pg 235]</span> -effort is the best evidence that it -can’t be done. Then will come public -ownership.</p> - -<p>The government has no more right -to farm out to the bankers the privilege -of issuing money than it has to -grant to a few rich farmers the exclusive -privilege of breeding short-horn -cattle.</p> - -<p>It is said that gold furnishes a -stable currency, but history teaches -that it is the most cowardly money -ever used. In time of war, when it is -needed most, it hides itself and paper -money fights the battles.</p> - -<p>The glory of war is a relic of barbarism. -It differs only in form from -the ghoulish dances of the aborigines, -or the fiend-like performances of the -Dervishes. “War is hell.” Its spirit -is of the devil. Nine-tenths of the -wars could be avoided. They are -caused by the selfishness of man.</p> - -<p>In this day of progress and invention -no man can define radicalism. That -which appears radical today is conservative -tomorrow. The leaven of -a higher and better civilization is -working in the hearts of the people, -and the day of emancipation from -false systems draws near.</p> - -<p>In the past ten years in this country -the railroads have killed and crippled -more people than all the wars in -which this government was ever engaged. -Put that in your pipe and -smoke it, and then howl against government -ownership.</p> - -<p>It is urged that the greenbacks -should be retired, because they constitute -an “endless chain” to deplete -the gold reserve in the Treasury. It -should be remembered that no one -ever uses the “endless chain” but the -bankers. The people don’t want the -gold; they would rather have the -greenbacks, and they will take them -without any gold behind them. The -way to break the “endless chain” is -to abolish the gold reserve.</p> - -<p>Bryan seems bent on building up a -straw party for the Republicans to -knock down. In doing so he is playing -into the hands of the Republicans, -and he is using some good men for -straw. He is doing just what the -Republican bosses want him to do. -Whether he has sense enough to see it, -does not alter the situation. Every -move he makes tends to divide the -Democratic Party and help the Republicans.</p> - -<p>The bold and brazen bag-barons of -the Beef Trust will in all probability -find some way to dodge the injunction -issued against them. There is an old -saying that runs something like “catch -your cottontail before you cook it,” -or words to that effect. If there is no -change in prices of cattle and beef, -you may rest assured that the beef -barons are still robbing the people at -both ends of the line.</p> - -<p>For thirty years I have heard this -talk of the better class of men in the -Democratic Party getting control of -it and bringing it back to its old-time -moorings, but the party is in a much -worse condition today than it ever -has been before. That there are good -men in it, no one will attempt to deny. -The rank and file of the party are -honest and sincere, but the party is -controlled by the most unscrupulous -set of buccaneers that ever existed, -and, under the system of primaries -and conventions, the people have no -more show to win against the professional -politicians than a goose -would have in a running match with a -red fox. The party is not only divided -and demoralized, but it is disgraced -in the eyes of the people. The -attempt of the party in the recent -campaign to ape the methods of the -Republican Party as practiced by Mr. -Hanna in 1896 and 1900, and its bid -for Wall Street support, were despicable -beyond description. A party -that has for years laid claim to being -a reform party, that will stoop to -such contemptible methods, deserves -not only the distrust of the people, but -their everlasting condemnation.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_236"></a>[Pg 236]</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<a name="The_Heritage_of_Maxwell_Fair" id="The_Heritage_of_Maxwell_Fair"> </a> -<h2 class="nobreak"><i>The Heritage of Maxwell Fair</i></h2></div> - -<p class="center space-above1 space-below1">BY VINCENT HARPER</p> - -<h3>SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS</h3> - -<p class="blockquot space-below2">Maxwell Fair, an Englishman who has amassed a -colossal fortune on ’Change, inherits from his ancestors -a remarkable tendency to devote his life to some -object, generally a worthy, if peculiar one, which is -extravagantly chivalrous, even morbid. The story -opens with Fair and Mrs. Fair standing over the body -of a man who has just been shot in their house—a -foreigner, who had claimed to be an old friend of Mrs. -Fair. Fair sends her to her room, saying: “Leave -everything to me.” He hides the body in a chest, and -decides to close the house “for a trip on the Continent.” -Fair tells the governess, Kate Mettleby, that he loves -her, that there is no dishonor in his love, in spite of -Mrs. Fair’s existence, and that, until an hour ago, he -thought he could marry her—could “break the self-imposed -conditions of his weird life-purpose.” They -are interrupted before Kate, who really loves him, is -made to understand. While the Fairs are entertaining -a few old friends at dinner, Kate, not knowing that it -contains Mrs. Fair’s blood-stained dress, is about to -hide a parcel in the chest when she is startled by a -sound.</p> - -<h3>CHAPTER V (<i>Continued</i>)</h3> - -<p class="drop-cap">“HSS—hss,” once more came -the noise, and this time she -realized that it proceeded -from the doorway. With a frightened -look she saw a man peering and smiling -at her between the portières.</p> - -<p>“Why, who are you?” she asked, -involuntarily retreating toward the -bell.</p> - -<p>“Sh-h. They are at dinner—a very -good dinner, from the smell, too,” -answered the stranger, entering the -room with an air of such thorough -good-nature and easy friendliness that -Miss Mettleby gained courage. He -was a little, wiry, dapper, insinuating -fellow whose cockney smartness of -attire and knowing, “between ourselves” -manner suggested almost anything, -from an upper groom or a -veterinary’s assistant to a rising young -follower of the turf or a successful -burglar with aristocratic connections.</p> - -<p>“I will ring,” said Miss Mettleby, -puzzled whether to scream or laugh.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I wouldn’t do that, you know,” -suggested the visitor pleasantly, more -like one throwing out a friendly suggestion -than a burglar intimidating -a very frightened young governess. -“You see, miss, I have business with -Mr. Fair—rather nasty business, too, -and I never broach a disagreeable -subject until after dinner, do you?”</p> - -<p>“But what do you mean by prowling -about people’s houses?” asked -Kate, with a dignity born of growing -assurance that the man did not contemplate -her immediate murder.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I say, let up, miss, you know,” -deprecated the invader ruefully. “You -see, when you have passed a few hours -back of pianos and under beds and -in wardrobes you grow attached to a -house, don’t you, miss? I’m that -attached to this house that you’d be -surprised if I was to tell you how -much. You’ll be the governess now, -I dare say?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but on my word, you are the -coolest thief—” replied Kate, and the -cool one broke in:</p> - -<p>“Oh, oh, pretty young lady, recall -that there wile insinuation, you know.”</p> - -<p>“Well, since you are so cool about -it and come here where you are sure -to be seen, I’ll believe you,” answered -Miss Mettleby. “But what do you -want? Really, this is refreshing.”</p> - -<p>“Ain’t it just, miss?” acquiesced -the cool one, sitting down. “Askin’ -your pardon, I’ll smoke. Now, miss, -that we’re so cozy like, I’ll ask you a -few questions. A dark foreign gentlemen -called here about an hour ago.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps he did—what of it?” -asked Kate, with a very feeble effort -to cover the alarm which his words -created.</p> - -<p>“You saw him?” went on the -stranger, with an exasperating coolness.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_237"></a>[Pg 237]</span></p> - -<p>“If I did, I don’t see what business -that is of yours,” retorted Kate -haughtily enough, but inwardly quaking. -“Who are you, sir?”</p> - -<p>“I am Ferret, miss,” he answered, -rising and bowing; “Mr. Samuel -Ferret, of the Scotland Yard private -detective force—your servant.”</p> - -<p>“Good gracious,” cried Miss Mettleby, -springing up in spite of her effort -to betray no feeling. “A detective? -But why should you come here?”</p> - -<p>Poor Kate’s alarm would have been -considerably heightened had she only -known that three or four other insinuating -and evanescent gentlemen -had been in and out of the premises for -the past hour, and that still more of -them were at that moment watching -the house, front and rear.</p> - -<p>“Well, you see, miss,” replied Ferret, -trying by his manner to reassure the -young woman, “I’ve been taking an interest -in my foreign friend for a week. -He came here today. I haven’t seen -him go away again? Have you?”</p> - -<p>“No,” answered Kate, with an indifference -which she did not feel; “but -he must have gone, of course. There -is no such person about the premises. -I must ring and advise Mr. Fair.”</p> - -<p>“Now, really, you know,” exclaimed -Ferret, jumping up to intercept her; -“I wouldn’t do that, would you? -When a gent goes into a house and -don’t come out again, it is just possible -to imagine that he is somewhere -near that house, not to say in that -house. You follow me, I hope? Well, -my dear foreign friend came into this -here very elegant mansion and he -didn’t go out of it again, so by a -stretch of fancy I think he may be -in London yet, and in that part of -London which is up in your attic. -Now, don’t jump. If you make a -row, you’ll frighten the great folks -at dinner—such a deucedly good -dinner, too—and besides give my -foreign friend advance knowledge of -my little surprise party—I just love -surprises, don’t you? And them there -foreign gents can get out through a -smaller hole than a self-respecting -Englishman, let me tell you.”</p> - -<p>“But who is the man?” asked Kate, -forgetting her alarm as Ferret, with -the oddest winks and gestures with -his long thumbs, delivered his speech. -“And what is he doing here? And -what do you propose to do about it?”</p> - -<p>“Me? What do I propose to do -about it?” inquired Ferret as if the -thought that he would be expected -to do something about it had just -struck him. “Well, first of all, I -propose to ask you to be a nice young -lady and help me a bit. You see, -miss, my friend don’t mean any great -kindness to Mr. and Mrs. Fair. Not -a bit of it—that ain’t like my friend. -In fact, there’s going to be a row—now, -now, don’t jump, you know—I -was saying that there is going to be -a row, unless you and I prevent it, -you know.”</p> - -<p>“Then I insist upon telling Mr. -Fair at once—this is awful,” cried -Kate, beginning again to believe that -the alleged detective was simply a -clever sneak-thief who was playing -upon her ignorance.</p> - -<p>“Hawful is it?” smiled Ferret, -warning her to remain seated with a -hand lifted eloquently; “but it won’t -be hawful, but just a pleasant little -picnic if you will do just what I tell -you. Come now, don’t be a fool, miss, -but a dear, good, cool-headed young -lady. Will you help me?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” replied Miss Mettleby; “of -course I will do anything to help Mr. -Fair—I mean, Mrs. Fair.”</p> - -<p>“Of course you will,” said Ferret -encouragingly. “I knew you was a -Christian the minute I see you, miss. -You stop in this room until I come -back. I am going out to telephone, -you see.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, we have a telephone in the -house, you know,” eagerly remarked -Kate, not liking the idea of being kept -a prisoner in the library while this -man roamed about the house at his -leisure.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” jeered Ferret; “and it would -be a fine thing, wouldn’t it, for me to -yell through your telephone downstairs -that I wanted the Yard to -send me six constables at once to nab<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_238"></a>[Pg 238]</span> -a foreign gentleman—with the foreign -gent himself lying under the very mat -on which I was standing. Innocent! -No. I must go out to telephone—and -if you sort of want to see me safe -out of the house, why, come down -to the door with me—yes, that’s it. -I want you to sit in the little room -by the street door, and when my -friend goes out the door follow him—follow -him, miss, you understand. -He will go across the street, down the -next street to the square, turn to the -left, and call a cab at the corner. -You call the next cab and direct the -driver to follow the first one. Watch -him, follow him, don’t lose sight of -him.”</p> - -<p>“But he wouldn’t be such a fool -as to go out by the front door,” replied -Kate, thoroughly puzzled by -Ferret’s mysterious instructions, which -she, of course, did not understand -were merely attempts on his part to -get her out of his way and fixed permanently -in some known room.</p> - -<p>“Never fear,” answered Ferret; -“that’s just what he will do. He’ll -go out of the front door as if he owned -the house. In all likelihood I’ll be -over the way when he and you come -out, and then of course I’ll follow -him myself, but if I ain’t there, you -must do as I say. Follow him no -matter wherever he goes—and then -come to Scotland Yard and report.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know about all this,” -stoutly returned Kate, shaking her -head. “Why can’t Mr. Fair be advised -at once? This is all wrong—and -strange.”</p> - -<p>“But you see, miss,” quickly protested -Ferret, “Mr. Fair has private -reasons for not wishing us to trouble -the foreign gent, so he wouldn’t help -us to nab him. Funny, isn’t it? But -it often happens that we poor detectives -has to catch all sorts of gents -in spite of the very parties on whose -accounts we wants ’em. The aristocracy -has objections against appearing -in court even against their own -murderers. Now Mr. Fair does not -know this gent’s little game and so -he trusts him. We’ve got to do all -this business ourselves—and, I tell -you, it’s life and death. So, is it a -go? Will you be a sensible young -woman and not make a row, and -help me?”</p> - -<p>“I will,” answered Kate, convinced -by the fellow’s irresistibly frank air—and -moved by the comforting -thought that her consent to his plan -would at least get him out of the house—when -she would of course advise -Mr. Fair of the whole matter, even -if it did spoil a good dinner.</p> - -<p>“That’s a real lady for you,” -gallantly remarked Ferret. “Now I’m -off. Come downstairs if you want -to see me out of the house—you -suspicious young thing. No? All -right. Thanks, but you really must -sit in that little room, you know, for -he may be leaving the house at any -minute.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll get my hat first,” replied Kate, -“so that I can be ready to follow him -if he goes out.”</p> - -<p>Ferret slid noiselessly out of the -library with a warning finger at his -lips, and Kate congratulated herself -upon having so cleverly deceived him. -She would hide the parcel containing -the surprise and then send word to -the dining-room that she must see -Mr. Fair at once.</p> - -<p>She sat for a moment trying to think -out the impressions which had been -pouring in upon her in this hour -of cataclysm and departure. What -had brought the foreign gentleman -to the house? What had he done to -make him the subject of police suspicion? -And why should Mr. Fair -wish to protect him from the law? -And—oh, how the thought came -crushing back into her heart after -being dislodged by the detective’s -sudden appearance—of what crime -had Mr. Fair spoken? The temporary -calmness that the diversion had purchased -for her gave way now to all -the torment that had preceded it. -Springing up to carry out her resolution—action -being at all events less -dreadful than idle horror—she took -the parcel from the table, and going -hurriedly across the room, lifted the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_239"></a>[Pg 239]</span> -lid of the old carved chest. She -dropped the parcel into it—and fell.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Allyne had just elicited a laugh by -one of his characterizations of a certain -great personage, when the party -at dinner heard a shriek that brought -them all to their feet. Mr. and Mrs. -Fair dashed upstairs with who can -say what horror of expectancy in -their minds. They found the governess -lying beside the chest in the library. -Fair acted promptly.</p> - -<p>He heard the others running up the -stairs, so as he raised Kate from the -floor he said to Mrs. Fair; “Sit on the -chest, Janet—never mind why—and -do not rise from it until I get them -all out of here. It is only Miss Mettleby, -the governess—she has fainted,” -he added as Mrs. March and Allyne -entered followed by Travers.</p> - -<p>“Oh, my dear Mrs. Fair, how pale -you look—what has really happened?” -asked Mrs. March anxiously.</p> - -<p>“Miss Mettleby has had a bad turn—that’s -all. Pray, all of you go,” -replied Fair, for Mrs. Fair, with a -white face and vacant look, sat as if -unconscious of what passed.</p> - -<p>“Allyne, take Mrs. March down, -won’t you?” asked Travers, to relieve -the situation, and then, after Allyne -and Mrs. March were gone: “Is -there nothing that I can do, Fair? -My God, man, what does it all mean?”</p> - -<p>“Thanks, old chap,” answered Fair -as he laid Miss Mettleby upon the -leather lounge; “nothing. Go down -now, or Lady Poynter will fear there -is something serious the matter. Janet, -my love, let Travers see you down.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Fair suffered Travers to lead -her away, walking in a trance.</p> - -<p>“Kate—Kate,” said Fair, bending -over the governess and chafing her -hands which now began to twitch -convulsively.</p> - -<p>“Has he gone?” asked Kate, opening -her eyes and staring nervously around -the room.</p> - -<p>“There is nobody here, Miss Mettleby,” -quietly answered Fair, helping -her to her feet. “Are you better?”</p> - -<p>“I must have fainted—how stupid -of me,” replied Miss Mettleby, getting -herself together and shuddering as -the reality came back upon her. -“It is nothing, Mr. Fair. Now please -go back to your dinner—oh, how -foolish and annoying of me to disturb -you all in this way! I will get -my hat and take the air for a few -minutes. Come.”</p> - -<p>They walked slowly out of the -library, and in the passage Kate insisted -on his returning to the dining-room -while she ran up to her own -room.</p> - -<p>Fair went down accordingly, tortured -with the fear that she had opened -the chest. Miss Mettleby, hastily -preparing for the street, slipped out -of the house and fled along to the -corner, where she took a cab and was -driven off at a mad pace.</p> - -<h3>CHAPTER VI</h3> - -<p>About nine o’clock that evening -Mr. Inspector Sharpe sat in his little -office, running his eye over the -records of a day’s departures from -the steep and thorny path on the -part of the very mixed and sorely -tried people of London. At that -hour he was on duty also on emergency -cases that might be reported -at the ever-expectant Yard. -So he glanced at his reports casually, -as one does who looks to be interrupted -at any moment. The bells in the -steeples were chiming nine when a -constable entered, conducting a very -agitated young woman who showed -not only the usual nervousness of -the layman in police offices, but also -a great deal of not very clearly defined -personal anxiety.</p> - -<p>“Well? Well?” asked the Inspector, -without looking up from his reports.</p> - -<p>“I beg your pardon—but is this—?” -asked a timid voice in return.</p> - -<p>“Ah, a lady,” exclaimed the Inspector -on seeing her. “Beg pardon, -ma’am. Have a seat, ma’am. And -now what can I do for you?”</p> - -<p>“Is this where they report things?” -asked the girl apologetically.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_240"></a>[Pg 240]</span></p> - -<p>“Bless us all,” cried out Sharpe, -with a smile; “they report some -things here, miss. Who are you, -now?”</p> - -<p>“Does it matter? Must I say who -I am?” inquired the lady anxiously.</p> - -<p>“Really, you know, I can’t say as -to that, you know, miss,” replied the -Inspector, with a merriment which he -frowned at when the constable began -to join in it. “If you have something -to report, I must know who it is as -reports it, wouldn’t you say? But -there, now, miss, don’t you be afraid -of nothing. Out with it. What seems -to be a-troublin’ of such a quiet-looking -young person as you, miss?”</p> - -<p>“Well,” answered the girl, much -encouraged by the humanity of the -terrible officer whose uniform and -surroundings appalled her at first, “I -just wanted to report that he did go -out and I followed him, but he walked -so fast that I couldn’t keep up with -him, and he disappeared around the -corner, please, sir.”</p> - -<p>“He did, eh?” laughed the Inspector. -“You wouldn’t have no objection -to mentionin’ the gent’s name, -now, would you? Must have somebody’s -name.”</p> - -<p>“Why, you know who I mean,” -answered the girl, with surprise, as it -did not of course occur to her that a -number of young women had been -asked to follow strange gentlemen -about the streets that very evening. -“You know who it was—the foreign -gentleman, you know.”</p> - -<p>The Inspector burst into a hearty -laugh at this, but said sharply to -his subordinate: “Bellows, if you -laugh again, I’ll report you. No, -miss, I really can’t say as I do know -just who you mean. You see, we -has such a lot of foreign gents to look -after one way or another, that we -gets ’em sort o’ mixed like, sometimes, -you know. Who was your particular -foreign gent and why did he walk so -fast and why was you so keen to -catch ’im?”</p> - -<p>“This is very strange,” replied the -girl, beginning to think that, after -all, she had been played upon by -that horrid, suave thief. “Mr. Ferret -told me to come here and tell you -all about it, you know. At Mr. -Maxwell Fair’s, you know—Carlton -House Terrace—please say you understand.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, I see,” exclaimed Sharpe, at -once showing the keenest interest and -bristling with alert readiness both to -hear and to act. “It’s Ferret, is it? -Bellows, go and ask Ferret to come -here.” The constable departed to do -as he was bid in spite of a gesture of -protest from Miss Mettleby and her -statement that Mr. Ferret was not -here but at Mr. Fair’s house.</p> - -<p>“Now, miss,” began the Inspector, -when Bellows closed the door after him, -“how do you come to be interested -in this Spanish conspiracy? It was -Señor Mendes that you followed, eh? -Why? Speak out, now, plain and -square. It’s an ugly business for the -likes of you to get mixed up in.”</p> - -<p>Miss Mettleby heard all this with a -rapidly deepening feeling of guilty -complicity in some dark plot, and yet, -beneath this sickening dread, she -felt a vague hope that now she would -glean some intelligent idea of the -mystery into which she, Mr. Fair—all -her world, had been so suddenly -plunged by the hurrying events of the -past two hours.</p> - -<p>“Oh, you see, sir,” she began; “I -assure you that I know absolutely -nothing at all about what Mr. Ferret -was about—nothing. I am the governess -in Mr. Fair’s family, that’s all. -And this evening when the family -were at dinner Mr. Ferret came into -the library—nearly frightening me -to death—and told me that a foreign -gentleman was in our house who intended -some sort of mischief to my -kind employer. So he asked me to -watch the street door and to follow -the man if he should go out before -Mr. Ferret returned from telegraphing -or something. And, of course, the -whole thing is non——”</p> - -<p>Her pitiful little plot to divert police -suspicion from her knight until the -horrible evidence of someone’s guilt—not -his, not his!—could be removed was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_241"></a>[Pg 241]</span> -nipped at this point by the entrance, -to her unspeakable surprise, of Ferret -himself, smiling and unruffled.</p> - -<p>“Ferret, do you know this young -lady?” asked the inspector perfunctorily.</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir,” replied Ferret, with a -salute—military to his chief and cavalier -to the trembling Kate. “She’s the -governess, sir, at Mr. Maxwell Fair’s. -How are you again, miss? You are -here rather earlier than I looked for -you. She’s a regular corker, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Silence!” snapped the Inspector, -to whom discipline was all. “This -young person was telling me that she -watched as you requested. Go on, -miss.”</p> - -<p>“Well, Mr. Ferret had scarcely gone -out when the foreign gentleman passed -out of the street door and I immediately -followed him,” went on poor Kate, -with oozing hope that her blundering -lie would be believed, now that that -gimlet-eyed Ferret was here to observe -her. “The man crossed the -square and walked quickly down the -next street.”</p> - -<p>She stopped. Ferret seemed to be -whistling in mild but growing unbelief—conduct -which he suddenly -abandoned on receiving a wireless -message of caution from the Inspector. -The nimble mind of Ferret caught his -superior’s point at once, so he fell in -with his policy and said, as if to encourage -Kate to proceed bravely -with her transparent and useful lie: -“Didn’t I tell you he would do so?”</p> - -<p>“Be quiet, Ferret!” cried Sharpe, -fearing that Ferret would develop -some new indiscretion. “Go on, miss, -go on. You saw the gent turn the -corner?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” replied Kate, with fresh -courage; “he turned the corner and -I ran after him. There were many -people in the narrow street into which -he had turned, but I kept him in view -and——”</p> - -<p>“And you jumped into the next -cab as quick as a flash—” put in -Ferret, when he noticed that her powers -of creation were ebbing, “and followed -him until you saw him go into—go -on, go on, miss—you’re great, you -are.”</p> - -<p>“Alas, no,” sighed Kate, fearing to -venture to be so specific as to locate -the mysterious man in a definite house -anywhere. “Alas, no. When I reached -Pall Mall he had disappeared.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, dam—that is, you know, I beg -pardon—what a pity you missed him,” -exclaimed Ferret, rapidly calculating -what her game was.</p> - -<p>“It is only just gone nine,” remarked -the Inspector sternly. “When -was it that you were at Mr. Fair’s -house, Ferret? This is very strange.”</p> - -<p>It was Ferret’s turn now to fear -that the course of affairs reflected on -his discretion, and, while he could -hardly believe that the Inspector had -failed to perceive that the governess -was fibbing, he could not risk being -thought a bungler, for Sharpe was a -man of few words, quick action, and -little given to reopening cases once he -had decided them.</p> - -<p>“I am afraid the young lady has -made a mistake,” Ferret continued -carefully. “It was dark and she probably -mistook somebody else for the -foreign gent. You see, sir, I changed -my mind and didn’t go to telephone, -but stood immediately opposite Mr. -Fair’s house until ten minutes ago, and -the gent had not come out of the door—that -I can swear to.”</p> - -<p>Ferret hoped that this bit of information -would so shake the girl’s confidence -in her story that she would begin -a new and contradictory one.</p> - -<p>“But he <i>did</i> go out,” sobbed Kate, -truly shaken, but with a woman’s determination -to see a thing through; “I -say he did go out. Oh, Mr. Inspector, -tell me that you believe me! There is -no foreign gentleman at Mr. Fair’s -house—so it will be very foolish for -you to send any of those awful detectives -there. Do, <i>do</i> believe me! I -tell you, sir, that there has been no -foreign gentleman at our house, and -anyway I saw him go out.”</p> - -<p>“Ferret, come into my private -office a minute,” said Sharpe, trying to -retain his customary solemn and impressive -expression. “Please wait here<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_242"></a>[Pg 242]</span> -for us, miss. Nobody will come in to -molest you.”</p> - -<p>“My God, what have I done now?” -cried Kate, when the two terrible men, -with their cold, businesslike, lynx -ways, had gone. “But he did not do it—he -did NOT!” she moaned as she -leaned her poor reeling head upon the -edge of the Inspector’s desk.</p> - -<p>They came back after a few minutes.</p> - -<p>“We believe your story, miss,” -began the Inspector kindly; “and Ferret -will be severely reprimanded in the -morning for having annoyed you by -going into your house. Now tell me -anything more that you may know -about this silly rumor—but be careful -what you say, for you may have to -swear to the truth of it all in a court -of law. I shall take down what you -say. Come, now, what is your name?”</p> - -<p>“Kate Mettleby,” she replied, with -uneasiness as she thought of perjury; -“but really, truly, honestly, there -has been no murder at our house, so I -don’t see why you should want me -to——”</p> - -<p>“Of course not, of course not,” interrupted -the Inspector, with a cordiality -and candor that brought her -immense relief; “but, you see, the law -compels us to look sharp into the ways -of all foreigners. The law is that all -foreigners are guilty until they can -prove themselves innocent—which is -very seldom possible.”</p> - -<p>Ferret made a little movement as if -he were going to protest against quite -such a bald bit of cruel treatment of an -innocent baby, but he remembered his -duty and held his tongue.</p> - -<p>“Oh, is that the law?” asked Kate, -with wide eyes. “But surely there must -be some foreigners who are as good as -English people.”</p> - -<p>“There may be,” admitted the Inspector -sorrowfully; “but the law don’t -believe it if it can help it. Now, Miss -Mettleby, governesses and servants -has opportunities. They sometimes -hear and see a good deal that is said -and done by the gentry. Mr. and Mrs. -Fair never quarrel, I suppose, about a -party by the name of Mendes, do they?”</p> - -<p>The shrewd officer of the law regretted -his words as soon as he had -spoken them, for Kate sprang to her -feet, burning with shame and indignation.</p> - -<p>“You mistake, sir!” she cried -fiercely. “I am not a servant, but -the friend of Mrs. Maxwell Fair. And -if I were a servant, do you suppose—I -despise your insulting innuendo! -And I tell you that Mr. Fair is utterly -incapable of the crime which I can see -that your bloodhound, Mr. Ferret -there, thinks he has committed. I am -going.”</p> - -<p>“You are going in a moment—when -I allow you to do so,” returned -the Inspector, anxious to retrieve his -mistake, but also desirous to let her -understand that he had authority. -“Now don’t be foolish, miss. You -fly off into a rage quite unnecessarily, I -assure you. Mr. Ferret neither makes -nor implies any charge of any sort -against Mr. Fair, you know. Now be -calm and simply answer my questions—you -will have to answer them here or -in court, remember. You have heard -Mr. and Mrs. Fair speak of one Don -Pablo Mendes, I suppose?”</p> - -<p>“Yes—many times, but always with -kindness,” replied Kate stiffly.</p> - -<p>“Good,” said Sharpe benignly. -“Now we are getting on. And this -Don Pablo Mendes has been at the -house frequently, has he not?”</p> - -<p>“Never, as far as I know, until -today,” answered Kate, still far from -mollified. “Mrs. Fair has been—but, -no, I sha’n’t say that.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I say, don’t half say things in -that way, you know,” exclaimed the -Inspector, nettled. Then, coaxingly: -“You see, miss, when a witness says -half of a thing, the law compels -us to piece it out as we think best. -So out with it. Mrs. Fair has seen -Mendes somewhere away from home—you -were going to say?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” replied Kate, scarlet with -shame at the man’s seeming implication, -and not a little annoyed by his -almost supernatural ability to piece -out, as he put it, her half sentences; -“but, sir, I’d have you understand -that Mrs. Fair always consulted Mr.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_243"></a>[Pg 243]</span> -Fair before meeting Mr. Mendes—always.”</p> - -<p>“No doubt,” answered Sharpe, with -a look of lofty elevation above her implied -rebuke. “Now, miss, don’t please -see more than is in my words. And -don’t be afraid either. Remember, it -is this Spanish gent, Mendes, and not -either your Mr. or Mrs. Fair, that we -are looking for.”</p> - -<p>“Thank God for that,” murmured -Kate, beginning to break down visibly.</p> - -<p>Sharpe, on a wink from Ferret, -waited a few seconds while Ferret -fetched a glass of water, which the -wretched girl drank eagerly—with a -poor little smile of thanks that made -the susceptible Ferret wish Mendes -had never been born. This diversion -greatly cleared the atmosphere at -once.</p> - -<p>“Do you happen to know who -Mendes is and why we want him?” -asked the Inspector finally, with the -air of a gossip rather than that of an -inquisitor, which had the effect he desired, -for Kate looked up fearlessly now.</p> - -<p>“I have no idea,” she answered -promptly, glad to be able again to tell -the truth. Then, adding with the -former tone of apology to truth: “All -I ask is that you send nobody to our -house—now that Mr. Mendes has gone -away from it. You won’t, will you? -Please, please, do not!”</p> - -<p>“It would be nonsense to look for -him when he’s gone, wouldn’t it?” -laughed Sharpe. “And you know we -never do nonsensical things when we -know it. That will do, I think, miss. -You may go, if you wish.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, sir,” gasped Kate, with -alacrity. “And don’t you see that if -Mendes has committed some great -crime he would be very likely to commit -suicide? So I don’t see why you -should think that—now, don’t laugh.”</p> - -<p>Her last words were addressed to -Ferret, who did not know that she had -an eye on him. When she closed the -door and they heard her pass into the -outer passage, it was with anything -but a smile that Ferret looked up at his -chief and said: “Well, by all that’s -holy—did you ever?”</p> - -<h3>CHAPTER VII</h3> - -<p>Miss Mettleby took a cab and -was soon stretched upon her bed -more than ever torn and tortured -by the perfect vortex of vague conjecture -and too actual knowledge -which now dragged her and the man -she loved and her whole world down -to some indefinite but certain ruin.</p> - -<p>In the meantime Inspector Sharpe -disposed of two cases that had just -been brought in, and then sending for -Ferret, the two penetrating, cool, -keen-scented gentlemen sat on opposite -sides of the little table in the -Inspector’s private office and discussed -the rapidly developing situation.</p> - -<p>“But what the devil does it all -mean?” inquired Sharpe, showing by his -graver and tenser expression that the -case was passing from an ordinary -piece of blackmail, involving a few -unimportant foreigners, to a very -genuine mystery of much more serious -aspect, involving not an English gentleman -merely, but the particular -English gentleman who was at that -moment in the eye of the public.</p> - -<p>“Mean? Mean?” answered Ferret, -leaning back with an air of immense -professional eagerness. “Why, man, -can’t you see what it means? In the -first place, something happened after -I left the house that changed the dear -little governess lady’s mind. She was -told to leave the house, to follow the -Cuban, you see. Well, the Cuban -didn’t go out as the little one so -prettily lied to you. I know this -because I had five of our trustiest -men watching every entrance to the -house. So, for some reason the girl -has joined Fair in his unaccountable -effort to keep the rum chap out of -our hands. There was a row of some -sort just after I left the house, for -Wilson, whom I let into the place, saw -them all suddenly rush up from the -dinner-table, but, as they came back -presently, Wilson didn’t go up to the -library—especially as he saw pretty -Kate slip out into the street. Getting -thickish, eh? Well, sir, the shot that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_244"></a>[Pg 244]</span> -we heard about seven o’clock was -fired in Fair’s house, for I saw his -revolver lying on the library-table with -one chamber empty. How’s that for -your little game?”</p> - -<p>“This is getting interesting,” muttered -the Inspector.</p> - -<p>“Isn’t it just?” answered Ferret, -sitting up triumphantly. “And what -did I tell you? I knew there was a -deal more than just an innocent bit -of Mendes’s regular little practice. -The papers will be worth reading, sir, -tomorrow or the day after. I wish -this governess, though, was out of it.”</p> - -<p>“You have the house well watched?” -asked the Inspector.</p> - -<p>“Rather,” answered Ferret, with -one of his expressive winks. “Wilson -and Banks and Thorpe and two others. -They won’t let very much get through -their fingers. Another thing. The -Fairs are closing the house tomorrow -morning all of a sudden. All the servants -have been notified. Fair himself -will spend the day at Drayton Hall—you -know, old Sir Nelson Poynter’s -place in Surrey—and the missis and -the kids will go to Paris. I quietly -read the two telegrams that Fair sent -off to engage the rooms for them in -Paris. Wilson will follow them, while -Thorpe will run down to Drayton Hall -tonight to see how things lie. Tomorrow -after they have gone I shall -give the house a thorough looking -over, I can promise you. Sharpe, my -lad, we’ve struck a gold mine!”</p> - -<p>“But what do you make of it all?” -asked Sharpe. “I confess that I’m in -the dark. Have you got at the real -situation?”</p> - -<p>“Walls have ears—and even minor -police officials have a liking for knowing -what their superiors are at—so, -your ear,” replied Ferret, going to the -Inspector’s side and whispering to -him.</p> - -<p>“Lord! You don’t mean that?” exclaimed -Sharpe, jumping up.</p> - -<p>“How’s that for a bit of sensation -for the newspapers? Maxwell Fair—Phew!”</p> - -<p>“But how ever did you come to -talk to the young lady at the house? -Was that quite prudent, do you think? -Isn’t she a bit skittish?” asked the -Inspector when he resumed his seat. -“Poor little innocent!—what a fool -she was to come here and tell us that -he didn’t do it, eh?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, the governess—ain’t she a -circus?” laughed Ferret. “What a -deep one to come and tell us not to -send any horrid detectives! You see, -she was in the library when I went up -there during their dinner to have a -look round for the cause of the shooting, -and, incidentally, for the Cuban, -though I knew he must be higher up -in the house somewhere—attic probably. -I had to get the blooming girlie -out of the library, so I opened up -my little plan about having her watch -for the Cuban, and she took to it like -a trout after a fly. That was before -whatever happened a little while -afterward which opened her eyes -and changed her bearings. When I -went out of the house I let Wilson into -it, to be ready to investigate the -library when pretty Kate came down -to watch the door—but the row that -sent them all hurrying from the dinner-table -altered that. I stood just over -the way under a tree, when out comes -my little lady, not following the Cuban, -for he hadn’t come out of the house, -but all by her lone and all of a blue -funk. She hops into a cab at the -corner and I into the next one—and -she got here half a minute ahead of -me. Glory what luck we’re playing -to; why, it’s better than——”</p> - -<p>He was interrupted by the telephone -bell. The Inspector answered -it: “Well? Who? Yes. Yes. Ferret -is here—with me in my office. What? -No? Wait—Ferret will speak to you. -Good. All right.”</p> - -<p>Sharpe turned to Ferret: “Here, -Ferret, it’s Wilson—says something’s -up. Better get it yourself.”</p> - -<p>Ferret grabbed the instrument -eagerly. The case was developing a -trifle too rapidly. What could Wilson, -whom he had left under the stairs at -Mr. Fair’s, want so soon?</p> - -<p class="center">(<i>To be continued.</i>)</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_245"></a>[Pg 245]</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<a name="The_Say_of_Reform_Editors" id="The_Say_of_Reform_Editors"> </a> -<h2 class="nobreak"><i>The Say of Reform Editors</i></h2></div> - -<p class="drop-cap">WHEN the German Emperor rides -on the railroads a detailed bill -for every locomotive and every -car used is sent him and he pays -the bill. In the United States when the -President rides on the railroads no bill is -sent him and no charge is made. In Germany -the government owns the railroads -and in this country they are private property.—<i>Nebraska -Independent.</i></p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p><span class="smcap">Government</span> ownership would adjust -the matter of railroad rebates equitably. -And it would do more. It would prevent -the railroads extorting from the government -untold thousands of money which -they at present filch from the public treasury -by excessive charge for hauling mail -cars. This money would come mighty -handy in extending the rural free mail delivery -system. And it could be spent to -good advantage in raising the salaries of the -postal clerks who deserve so well at the -hands of the people. Or it could be turned -to account in lowering the price of letter -postage. There’s a thousand and one better -ways to spend the people’s money than -handing it over to the corporations that are -always soaking it to the government every -time they get a chance.—<i>What’s The Use?</i></p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p><span class="smcap">If</span> President Roosevelt sincerely and vigorously -attempts to obtain any reform legislation -during his administration, two-thirds -of his support will come from the -opposition. His own party, owned by and -mortgaged to the few, is absolutely powerless -to effect any good. There are a few -prominent kittens in the party who simulate -a little independent thinking, but -when the mother cat gives them a collective -swat in the face, they lie down and -put their chins on their paws and mew in -obedient accents that they are now good -cats.—<i>Chadron (Neb.) Times.</i></p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p><span class="smcap">A certain</span> Wall Street firm was engaged -in doing business as curb brokers and “washing” -a certain stock.</p> - -<p>Do you know exactly what “washing” -stock is? It is simply a fake auction on a big -scale. It is the kind of thing that puts a -little man in jail if he is caught doing it. -It is the kind of thing that makes respectable -fortunes for some of the big men.</p> - -<p>This firm was engaged in “washing” a -certain copper stock. An officer of the dignified -National City Bank was interested in -this stock. He had agreed to take a certain -amount of it at a very low price, and he -wanted to unload it on the public at a very -much higher price.</p> - -<p>The brokers proceeded to “wash” the -stock accordingly.</p> - -<p>Let us say that the stock was worth -fifty cents per share. One broker bid -fifty-five cents for a thousand shares, -and they all pretended that it was a legitimate -transaction—in reality it was a fake -bid and a fake transaction.</p> - -<p>The other broker engaged in the skin -game would then bid sixty cents for another -thousand shares—and so it would go.</p> - -<p>Not one person engaged in the swindle -was actually buying a single share of stock. -They simply bid back and forth, pretending -to buy it, and putting the price up day by -day.</p> - -<p>The crowd of poor fools that believe -in the “honor” of these disreputable -Wall Street gamblers looked on at this mock -auction, this fake selling and buying of -stocks, amazed and excited by the constantly -increasing values.</p> - -<p>Occasionally some gullible creature outside -the combination that was doing the -stock “washing” would come in and in good -faith buy some shares, actually paying his -good money for the worthless stuff.</p> - -<p>This went on until they had forced the -price of the stock up to a high figure, ten -times what it was worth. During this -“washing” operation, they had succeeded -in working off a good deal of this stock on -the public that believed the crooked sales -were really genuine.—<i>New York Journal.</i></p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> Chicago Union Traction Street Railway -Company has issued bonds and stocks -to the amount of $112,500,000, or at the -rate of $135,507 a mile. The capitalization -of all the street railways in Massachusetts -only amounts to $110,000,000. In Massachusetts, -stock watering is prohibited, and -the average capitalization of trolley lines -in that state is only $390.67 per mile. The -sort of work done in Chicago is theft, and -the men who did it, although they occupy -the chief seats in the churches, are thieves. -There is not a preacher in the whole city -that dare say so, and that makes them -accomplices of the thieves.—<i>Nebraska Independent.</i></p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> Chicago <i>Record-Herald</i>, a Republican -paper, refers to the fact that the Federal<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_246"></a>[Pg 246]</span> -Grand Jury returned indictments against -Senators Mitchell, Burton and Dietrich, -and says: “In each of these deplorable -instances the charges involve corruption -and moral turpitude—a bitter reflection -for a legislative body proud of its traditions -and jealous of its prerogatives and reputation. -The low tone of political morality -receives a painful and striking illustration -in these successive blows to senatorial prestige.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Record-Herald</i> adds: “The possibility -of further disgrace and degradation would -be greatly diminished by substituting for -indirect elections the plan of popular election -of Federal senators.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Record-Herald</i> might also have said -that the fact that there are a number of -prominent United States senators who have -not yet been reached by indictment and -will perhaps never be reached by indictment, -who serve on the Senate floor as the -representatives of special interests, provides -another striking argument in favor of the -popular election of senators.</p> - -<p>The <i>Record-Herald</i> might also have said -that the fact that New York, Minnesota and -Nebraska have during the present year elected -to the Senate men who were picked by -the railroads provides another strong argument -in favor of the popular election of -senators.—<i>The Commoner.</i></p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p><span class="smcap">An</span> Eastern woman, who “wants to do -something for the poor laboring man,” -threatens to start a school of physical culture -for them in New York City.—<i>Rocky -Mountain News.</i></p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p><span class="smcap">Bee</span> stings cure rheumatism, but a more -drastic treatment is necessary for the man -troubled with politics.—<i>Eastern Sunday Call.</i></p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p><span class="smcap">There</span> are persons who, with their backs -to the future, see no objects but those that -are past. Of history in the making they -know nothing. Such are those public men, -editors and statesmen who are now asserting -that Jeffersonism has given way to -Hamiltonism. The truth is that Jeffersonism -has been giving way to Hamiltonism -ever since Chief-Justice Marshall began on -the judicial bench to retrieve for Hamiltonism -the utter defeat it had suffered at the -polls. Step by step the Hamiltonian principle -was built up by judges until the Civil -War, and by judges, Congresses and -Presidents of all parties after that war. -But the day of Hamiltonism is now passing. -A new regime is setting in. The pendulum -is poised for the swing back to Jeffersonism. -Those who think they see Hamiltonism -looming up ahead are really looking backward.—<i>Chicago -Public.</i></p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p><span class="smcap">We</span> blame men for bribing legislators; -yet sometimes they are in the position of -the fellow who is “stood up” by a footpad, -with the demand for his money or his life.—<i>San -Francisco Star.</i></p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> pretentious Apes, in either finance, -literature, religion or moral philosophy, -are making faces at Thomas W. Lawson, of -“Frenzied Finance” fame.</p> - -<p>Making faces, through such mediums as -<i>Collier’s Weekly</i> and others of that ilk, is all -they can do. The weekly tasks of a half-dozen -of such writers, the rapidity and the -versatility of Thomas W. Lawson shows that -he could walk all over them in ten minutes. -The exhibitions of these hirelings exemplifies -the old story of the frog trying to swell -himself up to the size of the ox.—<i>The Patriarch.</i></p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> Populist ideas are well to the front. -It is difficult to pick up a magazine or newspaper -of any kind now without finding favorable -opinions of some Populist measure, -particularly as to the reforms in voting -and the management of monopolies. The -Populists never stood so high in the respect -and admiration of the people. It is a time -when state and local committees should be -up and stirring. Whenever and wherever -an improvement comes, the Populists will -be the kernel of the problem. The Populists -will be required to furnish the working -plans and should be prepared to receive -their friends.—<i>Joliet News.</i></p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p><span class="smcap">It</span> is a lamentable fact, but true nevertheless, -that there is more absolute want and -poverty in these United States than ever -before.</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding we have made so much -cotton here in the South that we cannot -sell it for enough to pay the cost of production, -there are thousands in our Southland -who are shivering with cold for want -of needed clothing. Though our prairies -have furnished trainloads of choicest cattle, -our people are forced to go hungry or -pay robber prices for meat. Our coal mines -have yielded coal enough to warm every hut -in all the land, yet thousands are freezing -for want of fuel. Our charity associations -are snowed under by the inordinate demands -for help from the unemployed. Even in -New York there are forty per cent. more idle -men today than ever before.</p> - -<p>We Southern people know but little of -the effects of the concentration of wealth -in the hands of a few men; of the grinding -poverty which prevails in the congested -centres of population; of the lavish -extravagance of the pampered spawn of -plutocracy and its parasites. It will come -to us later unless we set to work measures -to check it at once.—<i>Southern Mercury.</i></p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p><span class="smcap">While</span> the bacillus of populism is still at -work in the Democratic Party, it has also -attached the railroad arm of the Republican -machine.—Our Standard.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_247"></a>[Pg 247]</span></p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p><span class="smcap">Our</span> readers will remember the article -we printed a short time ago by Mr. Eltweed -Pomeroy, showing how the voters -of one ward of the city of Los Angeles, -Cal., “recalled” an alderman charged -with corruption. That was the first time -in the United States the Recall has been -used. About six weeks ago San Diego -voted to amend its constitution by adopting -the Initiative, Referendum and the -Recall, and the Legislature has just ratified -this. We understand that Pasadena -has also just adopted the Recall, though it -has had the Initiative and Referendum -for about a year. Thus government by -the people extends itself. The evils of -democracy can best be cured by more -democracy.—<i>Independent (N. Y.).</i></p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p><span class="smcap">Reports</span> of suffering from poverty in -London are harrowing. At a relief meeting -on the 31st it was reported that 200,000 -people in that city alone are living on the -verge of starvation. In the midst of all -this suffering there is something shocking, -in spite of the evident good intentions of -those in attendance, about the self-satisfaction -of the luxurious persons constituting -the relief meeting at which this report was -made. The meeting was held in the house -of a duke, whose great income flows unearned -into his private coffers from the common -inheritance of all Londoners. A -duchess, whose family lives in luxury on -incomes also wrung unearned from people -who work, occupied the chair. Among -those participating were other titled personages -whose luxurious incomes are enjoyed -at the expense of their starving fellows -whose sufferings they had assembled -to relieve. But all they proposed to do was -to spend pennies here and there for sweet -charity. Sweet charity! Yes, sweet; so -sweet to those who dole it out, and so bitter -to those who must humbly take it or starve. -Not one word escaped the lips of any of this -charitable assemblage in recognition of the -element of justice. To know that 200,000 -fellow men and women were on the verge of -starvation excited their human sympathies; -but that the starving horde were -starving because privileged drones and -titled parasites revel in unearned incomes, -clearly manifest as is the relation here of -cause and effect, did not concern the relief -meeting. It was something like this that -Tolstoy had in mind when with characteristic -simplicity and directness he said: “The -rich are willing to do anything for the poor -people but get off their backs.”—<i>Chicago -Public.</i></p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> Democratic mule is dead.</p> - -<p>The last echo of his heroic brays has -died away.</p> - -<p>His tail lies limp on the bare ground, like -the banner of a defeated army.</p> - -<p>His ears lop together and lie stiff and -lifeless, like fallen flagstaffs from the conquered -walls of a dismantled fortress.</p> - -<p>There is no breath to moisten the lips -that gave forth such pleasant music.</p> - -<p>Around him stand the doctors.</p> - -<p>The autopsy begins.</p> - -<p>Dr. Bryan gently, almost lovingly, lifts -the tail of the corpse and examines it carefully.</p> - -<p>“It was Spinal Belmontitis,” he says. -“That’s what killed him.”</p> - -<p>Dr. Gumshoe Stone is down on the -ground examining the ears.</p> - -<p>“I think it was Parkeritis.”</p> - -<p>“It might be a complication of both,” -answered Dr. Bryan.</p> - -<p>Dr. Tillman gritted his teeth and spit like -a cat.</p> - -<p>“I know a name for it,” he hissed, “but -I have no language to express it.”</p> - -<p>“I pronounce it damphoolishness,” answered -Dr. Hogg, of Texas.</p> - -<p>“That’s a slow disease,” chimed in Dr. -Daniel.</p> - -<p>“He’s had it a long time,” said Dr. -Hearst.</p> - -<p>“But it never affected his voice,” suggested -Dr. Williams.</p> - -<p>Dr. Bryan blushed and dropped the -mule’s tail.</p> - -<p>“Let’s try a reorganization battery on -him,” he said.</p> - -<p>“He’s been organized and reorganized -too often now,” grunted Hogg.</p> - -<p>“Let’s prop him up anyhow; maybe we -can ride him again,” insisted Dr. Bryan.</p> - -<p>“Let’s rest,” the others said, and they all -sat down.—<i>Morgan’s Buzz-Saw.</i></p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p class="f120"><i>Influence of Letters</i></p> - -<p class="drop-cap">JOHNSON—What do you think of those correspondence schools?</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Bronson</span>—I guess love is about the only thing in this world you can learn -by correspondence.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="f120"><i>A Bad Break</i></p> - -<p class="drop-cap">SUITOR—I’d marry your daughter if she didn’t have a single dollar.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Rocksey</span>—Then you’re a bigger fool even than I thought you were. Get -out of my house at once.</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_248"></a>[Pg 248]</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<a name="News_Record" id="News_Record"> </a> -<h2 class="nobreak"><i>News Record</i></h2></div> - -<p class="center">FROM FEBRUARY 7 TO MARCH 7, 1905</p> - -<div class="news"> - -<h3><i>Government and Politics</i></h3> - -<p class="day">February 7.—The Navy Department awards -contracts for armor plate to two companies -belonging to the Steel Trust, notwithstanding -the fact that the Midvale -Steel Co., which is outside the Trust, -underbid the other two companies $56 -per ton, or over $75,000 in the aggregate. -Secretary of the Navy Paul Morton -says the award was made because -he feared the Midvale Steel Co. could -not furnish the plates on time.</p> - -<p class="day">February 8.—The charge is made in the -Wyoming Legislature that United States -Senator Francis E. Warren has three -persons on the payroll who are never -in Washington and that the salaries -are turned over to Warren. A resolution -to investigate the charge is tabled.</p> - -<p>The National Red Cross Society is reorganized -with Honorable William H. -Taft, Secretary of War, at its head.</p> - -<p>Honorable Judson Harmon, of Cincinnati, -and F. M. Judson, of St. Louis, are appointed -special attorneys to investigate -the granting of rebates by the Santa -Fé Railroad.</p> - -<p>Representative Comerford is expelled -from the Illinois Legislature for making -charges of graft against the members.</p> - -<p class="day">February 9.—The President signs the bill -providing for the building of railroads -in the Philippines.</p> - -<p class="day">February 10.—The United States takes over -the custom house collections at Monte -Cristi, Santo Domingo.</p> - -<p class="day">February 11.—It is announced at the White -House that all the members of the -Cabinet will be reappointed except -Postmaster-General Wynne, who will -be made Consul-General at London. -George B. Cortelyou, Chairman of the -Republican National Committee, will be -the new Postmaster-General.</p> - -<p class="day">February 13.—Secretary of State Hay announces -that the arbitration treaties, -because of Senate amendments, will not -be presented to the governments with -which they were originally negotiated.</p> - -<p>President Roosevelt, speaking at a Lincoln -Day banquet in New York, defines -his position on the race question.</p> - -<p class="day">February 15.—The President sends the Santo -Domingo treaty to the Senate, with -a letter upholding the Monroe Doctrine, -but insisting that the smaller American -republics must pay their debts.</p> - -<p class="day">February 16.—President Roosevelt orders a -thorough investigation of the Standard -Oil Trust in accordance with the House -resolution.</p> - -<p>Secretary of the Interior Hitchcock calls -the lease of the oil lands of the Osage -Indians to the Standard Oil interests -“a public scandal.” This lease was -made during President Cleveland’s second -term.</p> - -<p class="day">February 17.—Six supporters of J. Edward -Addicks desert him in the Delaware -Senatorial fight.</p> - -<p>Government agents start to Kansas to -conduct the inquiry into the Standard -Oil Co.</p> - -<p>The West Virginia State Senate appoints -a committee to investigate the charges -that the Governor of the State has been -in collusion with Standard Oil agents.</p> - -<p class="day">February 18.—Isthmian Canal Commissioners -assert that they are authorized by -the President to retain fees received as -directors of the Panama Railway.</p> - -<p>President Roosevelt receives a portrait of -the Empress Dowager of China, sent as -an evidence of China’s good will to the -United States.</p> - -<p class="day">February 20.—Ex-Chief-Justice Alton B. -Parker appears before the New York -Court of Appeals to argue a case in -favor of the New York City Interborough -Railway Company, whose chief -owner is August Belmont.</p> - -<p>The United States Supreme Court sustains -the Kansas Anti-Trust law, affirming -sentence of fine and imprisonment -against Edmund J. Smiley, an -agent of the Missouri Pacific Railway -Company.</p> - -<p>A special committee of the California Legislature -recommends the expulsion of -five State Senators on the charge of -soliciting and accepting bribes.</p> - -<p>The Kansas Legislature, by concurrent -resolution, asks the annulment of the -Government’s blanket lease of Osage -lands to the Standard Oil Company.</p> - -<p class="day">February 21.—The Government begins -criminal prosecution of the Beef Trust -before a Grand Jury at Chicago called -especially for that purpose.</p> - -<p>Despite the protests against it, Secretary -Hitchcock decides to extend the leases -of the Osage Indian oil lands.</p> - -<p>The Illinois Legislature orders an investigation -of the oil pipe lines of the State, -and offers to loan the State of Kansas<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_249"></a>[Pg 249]</span> -$100,000 to aid in the fight against the -Standard Oil monopoly.</p> - -<p>While J. Edward Addicks has lost all -but about fifteen of his supporters in -the Delaware Legislature, these decide -to make the deadlock permanent and -thus prevent the election of a United -States Senator at this session.</p> - -<p>President Truesdale, of the Lackawanna -Railroad, criticizes President Roosevelt’s -attitude on rate legislation.</p> - -<p>At a dinner of the National Roosevelt -League given in New York a criticism -of the President’s message of condolence -on the death of the Grand Duke -Sergius was loudly cheered.</p> - -<p class="day">February 23.—The Interstate Commerce -Commission hands down a decision that -the Santa Fé and Southern Pacific railroads -have violated the law by entering -into a pool.</p> - -<p class="day">February 24.—The Department of Justice -begins an investigation of the Tobacco -Trust.</p> - -<p>The Board of Trade of New York City -decides to begin a campaign to force an -investigation of the Telephone Trust.</p> - -<p>Governor Edwin Warfield, of Maryland, in -a speech in New York warmly commends -President Roosevelt’s policy on -the negro question.</p> - -<p class="day">February 25.—The Isthmian Canal Commission -reports in favor of the Panama -Canal being constructed at sea level -with two or three sets of locks.</p> - -<p>Despite the higher offer made by Kansas -citizens, President Roosevelt decides -that the lease of Osage oil lands to the -Standard Oil interests must stand.</p> - -<p>The Democrats of Chicago nominate Judge -Edward F. Dunn for Mayor on a municipal -ownership platform.</p> - -<p>Secretary of the Treasury Leslie M. Shaw -defends the action of his predecessor, -Lyman J. Gage, in selling the New -York Custom House to the City Bank.</p> - -<p>Joseph V. Quarles, of Wisconsin, whose -term as United States Senator ends -March 4, is appointed United States -District Judge. The La Follette men -bitterly oppose the appointment.</p> - -<p class="day">February 27.—Four members of the California -State Senate are expelled from -that body for accepting bribes.</p> - -<p>The United States Supreme Court sustains -the Texas Anti-Trust Act under -which two oil companies were forced to -give up their licenses as a penalty for -pooling.</p> - -<p class="day">February 28.—Word is received at Washington -that Colombia will resume diplomatic -relations with the United States.</p> - -<p class="day">March 1.—Secretary of State Hay, in a letter -to the Haytian minister, says that -the United States has no intention to -annex Santo Domingo and “would not -take it as a gift.”</p> - -<p>In the contest for the Governorship of -Colorado, thirteen Republican members -of the committee appointed to conduct -the contest report in favor of -seating ex-Governor James H. Peabody, -nine Democratic members sign a report -favorable to Governor Alva Adams and -five Republican members refuse to sign -either report.</p> - -<p class="day">March 3.—Commissioner of Corporations -James R. Garfield reports on the Beef -Trust, his findings generally favoring -the packers.</p> - -<p>Former Land Commissioner Binger Hermann, -of Oregon, is indicted in Washington -for destroying public records.</p> - -<p class="day">March 4.—Theodore Roosevelt is sworn in -as President of the United States in the -presence of the largest assemblage and -the most elaborate military display ever -seen at an inauguration.</p> - -</div> - -<h3><i>The Doings of Congress.</i></h3> - -<div class="news"> - -<p class="day">February 7.—The Senate passes the Statehood -bill, but amends it to admit New -Mexico as one State, leaving Arizona -as a Territory. Oklahoma and Indian -Territory constitute one State, as in -the House bill.</p> - -<p class="day">February 8.—The electoral vote is canvassed -by a joint session of the House and Senate, -and the result is declared as 336 -for Roosevelt and Fairbanks, to 140 for -Parker and Davis.</p> - -<p>The Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs -disregards the wishes of the President -and amends the arbitration treaties -by striking out in each the word -“agreement” and substituting therefor -the word “treaty.”</p> - -<p>C. W. Post, of the Postal Progress League, -asks the Senate to expel Thomas C. -Platt, of New York, on the ground that -Platt is the President of the United -States Express Co., and is not a fair -representative of the people on any -question involving the interests of that -corporation.</p> - -<p class="day">February 9.—The Townsend-Esch bill, giving -the Interstate Commerce Commission -power to fix railroad rates, passes -the House by a vote of 326 to 17.</p> - -<p class="day">February 10.—The Senate begins the impeachment -trial of Judge Charles -Swayne, of Florida.</p> - -<p>The House Republicans decide to stand -by their own Statehood bill, refusing to -concur in the Senate amendments.</p> - -<p class="day">February 11.—The Senate, by an overwhelming -vote, amends the arbitration -treaties, thus virtually breaking with -the President. It insists that all treaties -must be ratified by the Senate.</p> - -<p>Testimony was introduced in the Swayne -impeachment trial to show that the defendant -had falsely certified his expenses.</p> - -<p class="day">February 13.—Representative John A. Sullivan, -of Massachusetts, makes a sensational -attack on Representative William<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_250"></a>[Pg 250]</span> -R. Hearst, of New York, and Mr. Hearst -in reply shows that Sullivan was once -indicted for murder in Massachusetts.</p> - -<p>Senator Bacon, of Georgia, introduces a -resolution calling for the facts relative -to the United States seizing custom -houses in Santo Domingo.</p> - -<p class="day">February 14.—Senators Lodge and Spooner -defend the action of the Senate in -amending the arbitration treaties.</p> - -<p>Representative Littlefield, of Maine, -warns Congress that it is riding for an -$80,000,000 deficit.</p> - -<p>The Senate passes the Agricultural Appropriation -bill, but amends it by prohibiting -drawbacks on wheat imported -to make flour for export.</p> - -<p class="day">February 15.—The House, by unanimous -vote, adopts a resolution introduced by -Representative Campbell, of Kansas, -which directs the Department of Commerce -and Labor to investigate the -Standard Oil Trust.</p> - -<p class="day">February 16.—The House declares the Senate’s -amendment of the Agricultural -Appropriation bill a violation of the -Constitution.</p> - -<p>The House passes the bill for the government -of the Panama Canal zone.</p> - -<p class="day">February 17.—The House Committee investigating -the Panama Railway hears testimony -to the effect that the commissioners -pocket the fees paid them as -directors. The Senate withdraws its -amendment to the Agricultural Appropriation -bill.</p> - -<p class="day">February 20.—By the aid of 46 Democratic -votes the Naval Appropriation bill, providing -for two new battleships, passes -the House.</p> - -<p>Representative Baker, of New York, denounces -President Roosevelt for having -sent a message of condolence on the -death of the Grand Duke Sergius.</p> - -<p>Representative William R. Hearst introduces -a bill to make oil pipe lines common -carriers, thus taking them out of -the exclusive control of the Standard -Oil Company.</p> - -<p>Friends of the freight-rate bill announce -that they have abandoned hope of its -becoming a law at this session.</p> - -<p class="day">February 21.—A letter is made public from -former Senator William E. Chandler, of -New Hampshire, to Senator Elkins, -Chairman of the Senate Committee on -Interstate Commerce, urging the passage -of the rate bill and predicting that, -if this is not done, government ownership -of railroads will result.</p> - -<p>The Senate Committee on Naval Affairs -decides to report favorably the House -bill providing for two additional battleships.</p> - -<p>Senator T. M. Patterson, of Colorado, says -that if the government does not control -the railways the people will demand -absolute government ownership.</p> - -<p class="day">February 23.—The House Indian Committee -decides to investigate the Osage oil -land lease.</p> - -<p>Senator Chauncey M. Depew declares in -favor of government regulation of railroad -rates.</p> - -<p>Stuyvesant Fish, President of the Illinois -Central Railroad, tells the Senate Committee -on Interstate Commerce that -President Roosevelt, in a private conference, -urged reduction of freight rates -as long ago as 1902.</p> - -<p>The House and Senate conferees on the -Army Appropriation bill decide to give -General Miles retired pay instead of full -pay, as at present.</p> - -<p>The Senate passes the Panama Canal bill -with the clause destroying the Panama -Canal Commission stricken out. Representative -Bishop, of Michigan, attacks -the River and Harbor bill and accuses -fellow-members of being under the influence -of the Great Lakes dredge owners.</p> - -<p class="day">February 24.—The item of $130,600 for the -rent of the old New York Custom House -from the City Bank (Standard Oil) is -stricken from the Civil Appropriation -bill by the Committee of the Whole -House. Mr. Sulzer (Dem.) leads in the -attack on this item, and the vote striking -it out is 90 to 77.</p> - -<p>Representative Vandiver, of Missouri, attacks -the Armor Plate Trust and asks -the Attorney-General why it has not -been prosecuted.</p> - -<p>Senator Morgan, of Alabama, starts a filibuster -against the Statehood bill.</p> - -<p class="day">February 25.—Senator Hale, of Maine, -makes sarcastic references to the Administration -policy of “browbeating -smaller Powers.”</p> - -<p>Arguments are concluded in the impeachment -case of Judge Charles Swayne.</p> - -<p>Senator Morgan, of Alabama, lodges with -the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee -a formal protest against the action of -President Roosevelt relating to Santo -Domingo.</p> - -<p class="day">February 27.—Senator Dryden, of New Jersey, -at the supposed request of the -President, introduces a bill establishing -Federal supervision of insurance.</p> - -<p>Democratic leaders bitterly attack the -President’s foreign policy in both the -House and Senate.</p> - -<p>The Senate votes in favor of the House -appropriation for two additional battleships.</p> - -<p>The Democrats of the House prevent the -reinstatement of the appropriation for -rent to the City Bank of New York, -enough Republicans joining them to -reverse the ruling of the Chair.</p> - -<p>The Senate, sitting as an Impeachment -Court, declares Judge Charles Swayne, -of Florida, innocent of all the charges -against him.</p> - -<p>The House Committee on Interstate and -Foreign Commerce resumes its investigation -of the Panama Canal and Railroad,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_251"></a>[Pg 251]</span> -and brings out testimony to the -effect that supplies were bought without -bids, and that the President’s instructions -were not always heeded.</p> - -<p>The Naval Appropriation bill, as amended -by the Senate, directs the Secretary -of the Navy to investigate the cost of -armor plate and report to the next -Congress.</p> - -<p class="day">February 28.—The Senate votes an amendment -to the Indian Appropriation bill -providing that a portion of the educational -fund may go to sectarian schools.</p> - -<p>Senator Kearns, of Utah, in his farewell -speech, makes a sensational attack on -the Mormon Church, which he says is -ruled by a “monarchy.”</p> - -<p class="day">March 1.—The day is spent on the appropriation -bills, a large number of which -are agreed to in conference, and pass -both houses. The Senate does not attempt -to reinstate the item for the rent -of the New York Custom House from -the Rockefeller bank. An objection by -Representative Baker, of New York, -prevents the President’s salary from being -raised to $75,000. The House votes -itself $190,000 for mileage for the “constructive -recess.”</p> - -<p class="day">March 2.—Both houses spend the day on -the appropriation bills. The Senate -adopts the Kean resolution for a railroad -rate inquiry during the recess.</p> - -<p>The Senate kills the $190,000 mileage -grab of the House.</p> - -<p class="day">March 3.—The Fifty-eighth Congress practically -completes its work, both houses -agreeing on all appropriation bills. -Freight-rate legislation and the Statehood -bill go over to the next Congress.</p> - -<p class="day">March 4.—The Fifty-eighth Congress ends -and the new Senate convenes in special -session.</p> - -</div> - -<h3><i>General Home News</i></h3> - -<div class="news"> - -<p class="day">February 7.—August W. Machen and the -Groff brothers, the Post-Office Department -officials convicted in the postal -fraud cases, and whose sentence has -just been confirmed by the United -States Supreme Court, are taken to -prison.</p> - -<p>It is announced that an international -parcels post is to be established between -Great Britain, France and the -United States.</p> - -<p>The Standard Oil interests are reported -to have made a $20,000,000 purchase -of stock, thus securing control of the -Santa Fé Railroad system.</p> - -<p>The Interstate Commerce Commission -hears the charges brought against the -Coal Trust by the Honorable William R. -Hearst.</p> - -<p>The Board of Aldermen of New York -City takes steps for the construction of -a municipal electric-lighting plant.</p> - -<p>The State of Kansas continues its war on -the Standard Oil Trust, the State -Senate passing three bills providing for -the erection of a State oil refinery, for -making pipe lines common carriers, -and for fixing freight rates in oil.</p> - -<p class="day">February 8.—Henry C. Frick, of the Steel -Trust, and Henry H. Rogers, of the -Standard Oil Company, are elected -directors of the Santa Fé Railroad.</p> - -<p>Elihu Root, former Secretary of War, -leads an attack on the constitutionality -of the New York State Barge -Canal, which is opposed by the railroads, -and which was supported by -such an overwhelming majority in last -fall’s election.</p> - -<p class="day">February 10.—In the hearing of the Hearst -case against the Coal Trust, the attorney -of the Trust says in effect that -the United States has no power over -the corporation.</p> - -<p class="day">February 13.—The Federal Grand Jury returns -new indictments against Senator -Mitchell and Representatives Hermann -and Williamson, of Oregon, in the -public land fraud cases.</p> - -<p class="day">February 14.—A sensational war in high -finance is begun between President -Alexander, of the Equitable Life Assurance -Association, and James H. -Hyde, its First Vice-President and -majority stockholder.</p> - -<p class="day">February 15.—The Kansas House of Representatives -passes the bill for a State -oil refinery already passed by the -Senate.</p> - -<p>The New York Legislature adopts a resolution -directing an investigation of the -Telephone Trust.</p> - -<p class="day">February 16.—A truce is patched up between -the warring factions of the -Equitable Life Association on the -promise of Vice-President Hyde to -mutualize the company.</p> - -<p class="day">February 17.—Governor Hoch, of Kansas, -signs the bill appropriating $400,000 -for the erection of a State oil refinery.</p> - -<p class="day">February 20.—Mrs. Jefferson Davis, in a -letter to the public press, scores General -Nelson A. Miles for having placed -her husband in irons, and asks General -Miles to publish a photographic copy of -her alleged letter of thanks.</p> - -<p>An explosion in a coal mine at Virginia, -Ala., entombs 160 men.</p> - -<p>Thomas W. Lawson, in <i>Everybody’s -Magazine</i>, continues his story of the -formation of the Amalgamated Copper -Company, outlines its devious operations -under Standard Oil, accuses -James M. Beck, ex-Assistant Attorney-General -of the United States, of perjury, -and attacks James H. Eckels, ex-Comptroller -of the Currency, for his -part in the infamous Cleveland bond -deal.</p> - -<p class="day">February 21.—Mayor George B. McClellan -and ex-Mayor Seth Low, of New York, -appear before the Legislature at Albany<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_252"></a>[Pg 252]</span> -to plead for a larger water supply for -New York City, claiming that a few -dry years would bring a water famine -to the metropolis.</p> - -<p>President Mellen, of the New York, New -Haven & Hartford Railroad, refuses to -arbitrate with the firemen who threaten -a strike.</p> - -<p>Fifty of the 160 miners entombed by the -explosion at Virginia, Ala., are known -to be dead, and little hope is entertained -for the remainder.</p> - -<p>A manuscript copy of one of Edgar Allan -Poe’s poems sells for $1,000 in New -York.</p> - -<p>John W. Gates and Joseph H. Hoadley -claim to have secured control of the -Tennessee Coal & Iron Company.</p> - -<p class="day">February 22.—Washington’s Birthday is -generally celebrated throughout the -United States and foreign nations. -President Roosevelt is the chief orator -at the University of Pennsylvania, -which institution confers the degree of -LL.D. on himself and Emperor William -of Germany. A bust of Washington is -presented to Congress by M. Jusserand, -the French Ambassador.</p> - -<p>A “boodle fund” of $60,000 is produced -in court at the trial of Charles Kratz at -Butler, Mo. Thomas K.. Niedringhaus, -Republican nominee for United -States Senator, is summoned as a witness -in the case.</p> - -<p>Professor William Osler, in his farewell -address to Johns Hopkins University, -states that men after forty years of age -are “comparatively useless,” and after -sixty are entirely so.</p> - -<p>President William R. Harper, of the University -of Chicago, undergoes an operation -for cancer while thousands of -students and friends pray for his recovery. -Physicians find cancer, but -are unable to remove it.</p> - -<p>Colonel William F. Cody, “Buffalo Bill,” -says he will apply to Howard Gould, -the millionaire, for $125,000 furnished -Mrs. Howard Gould when she was an -actress.</p> - -<p class="day">February 23.—General Nelson A. Miles, in -the <i>Independent</i>, makes a rejoinder to -those who had criticized him for placing -Jefferson Davis in irons, publishing -several letters, among them a note -from Mrs. Davis thanking him for -“kind answers,” and begging him to -look after her husband’s health.</p> - -<p>Standard Oil stocks drop 10 points, or -$41,000,000 in nine days.</p> - -<p class="day">February 24.—The New York State Factory -Inspector finds immigrant boys who -are virtually made slaves and compelled -to work twenty hours a day -without pay.</p> - -<p>Governor Vardaman, of Mississippi, employs -troops to protect from lynching a -negro accused of having assaulted a -white girl.</p> - -<p>Frank H. Monnett, ex-Attorney-General -of Ohio, reaches Topeka, where he will -assist in framing a case in the Supreme -Court to oust the Standard Oil Company -from the State.</p> - -<p>The plan for mutualizing the Equitable -Life Assurance Society fails, and the -war between the Hyde and Alexander -factions goes on.</p> - -<p>The Vanderbilt interests purchase a majority -of the stock of the Boston & -Maine Railroad.</p> - -<p class="day">February 25.—Wall Street sees a wild day -on the stock market because of a reported -merger of the New York Central -and Union Pacific railroads.</p> - -<p>Independent crude oil producers and refiners -of Kansas, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana -unite to fight the Standard Oil -Company.</p> - -<p>A two-million-dollar fire sweeps Hot -Springs, Ark., causing several deaths.</p> - -<p>Richard Croker, former chief of Tammany -Hall, sails for Ireland.</p> - -<p>The Engineering Committee of the Isthmian -Canal Commission estimates that -a sea-level canal can be constructed for -$230,500,000, and that the time occupied -in building it will be ten or twelve -years.</p> - -<p class="day">February 26.—A five-million-dollar fire -sweeps the river front at New Orleans. -Elevators and piers destroyed, entailing -future loss of export trade.</p> - -<p class="day">February 27.—By the collapse of the second -floor of the African Methodist Episcopal -Zion Church, of Brooklyn, N. Y., -eleven persons are killed and several -score injured.</p> - -<p>The Alexander-Hyde fight in the Equitable -Life Assurance Society is carried -into the courts.</p> - -<p>After making from $5,000,000 to $8,000,000 -in wheat, John W. Gates and his -associates throw their holdings on the -market, causing a sharp decline.</p> - -<p class="day">March 1.—Three New York thieves testify -that they have been dividing proceeds -with the police to secure immunity -from arrest.</p> - -<p class="day">March 2.—H. Rider Haggard, the celebrated -British novelist, visits the United States -for the purpose of studying colonization -plans for the poor.</p> - -<p class="day">March 6.—A general strike is declared on all -the Subway and Elevated lines of New -York City.</p> - -</div> - -<h3><i>The Russo-Japanese War</i></h3> - -<div class="news"> - -<p class="day">February 7.—A growing peace sentiment is -manifest in Russia, and press and public -are becoming more outspoken -against the further prosecution of a -losing war.</p> - -<p>General Kuropatkin sends word of a raid -in which fifty Japanese were killed.</p> - -<p class="day">February 8.—Admiral Togo returns to his -flagship, and resumes sea duty.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_253"></a>[Pg 253]</span></p> - -<p>Tokio hears of skirmishes near Mukden, -in which the Russians were defeated.</p> - -<p class="day">February 10.—The Russians retire from -Songchin in Northeastern Corea.</p> - -<p>The Russian Baltic fleet is reported off -Madagascar on its way to the Far East.</p> - -<p>General Stoessel says in answer to critics -that he sacrificed glory to humanity in -surrendering Port Arthur.</p> - -<p class="day">February 12.—Field Marshal Oyama reports -two skirmishes in which the -Russians are defeated.</p> - -<p class="day">February 13.—General Kuropatkin reports -that a Japanese cavalry raid has destroyed -several miles of railroad north -of Mukden; also that the Japanese have -resumed the bombardment of Lone -Tree Hill.</p> - -<p class="day">February 15.—A large force of Russian -cavalry moves against the Japanese -left in the vicinity of Heikontai.</p> - -<p>The Russian third Pacific squadron sails -from Libau on its way east.</p> - -<p class="day">February 16.—Russian attacks at Waitao -Mountain are repulsed, and the cavalry -force, which moved against the Japanese -left, is forced to retreat.</p> - -<p class="day">February 17.—General Grippenberg, who -was removed from his command in the -Russian army after the battle of Heikontai, -is given an audience by the -Czar, and says that General Kuropatkin -refused to support him when victory -was within reach.</p> - -<p class="day">February 18.—The Russian strike closes a -number of Government factories and -interferes with manufacturing and shipping -of war supplies.</p> - -<p class="day">February 20.—Russian cavalry passes Japanese -left flank near Hun River. -Movement of no special importance, -and losses insignificant.</p> - -<p>Russia’s third Pacific naval squadron -passes through the Great Belt off Denmark -on its way to join the Baltic -squadron.</p> - -<p>Tokio gives out semi-official statement -that Japanese casualties at the battle -of Heikontai were near 10,000.</p> - -<p class="day">February 21.—Lieutenant-General Stoessel, -former commandant at Port Arthur, -lands at Kaffa, Russia, on his return -from the Far East, and is received by -a cheering crowd.</p> - -<p class="day">February 22.—A Cossack raid reaches -nearly to the Yalu River, and destroys -a Japanese depot of supplies.</p> - -<p class="day">February 24.—The Japanese move northward -along the eastern coast of Korea, -fortify Port Lazareff and threaten -Vladivostok.</p> - -<p>The Japanese move forward in the -Tsinkhetchin district, and after desperate -fighting force the Russians to -abandon their base at Beresneff Hill.</p> - -<p class="day">February 25.—A battle involving General -Kuropatkin’s left flank opens south of -Mukden.</p> - -<p>Mr. Kogoro Takahira, Japanese Minister -to the United States, says that his -country has made no peace advances -to Russia.</p> - -<p class="day">February 26.—The battle brought on by -the flank movement of the Russians is -continued, and General Kuropatkin admits -another defeat. Japanese capture -the city of Tsinkhetchin, drive in -the Russian outposts and cross the Sha -River. It is reported that Oyama’s -artillery is even throwing shells into -Mukden.</p> - -<p class="day">February 27.—A number of Russian naval -officers returning from Port Arthur are -entertained by Count Cassini in Washington. -Other Russian officers from -the same siege land at Victoria, British -Columbia; in interviews they speak disparagingly -of General Stoessel, one expressing -the opinion that Stoessel -showed himself to be “not a hero, but -a coward.”</p> - -<p>Fighting continues about Mukden, the -Japanese being the aggressors. It is -now certain that General Kuroki has -captured Tie Pass from the Russians.</p> - -<p class="day">February 28.—The battle near Mukden becomes -general along a 100-mile front, -and involving 700,000 men.</p> - -<p>It is stated that the Cossacks lost 2,000 -men at Tsinkhetchin.</p> - -<p class="day">March 1.—The Japanese make a terrific -bombardment of Lone Tree or Putiloff -Hill, employing for the purpose the -great siege guns used at Port Arthur.</p> - -<p>Fierce fighting rages over the Sha River -bridge, which is finally held by the -Japanese.</p> - -<p>Field Marshal Oyama gradually forces the -Russians back in the general battle -about Mukden.</p> - -<p class="day">March 2.—The Russian flanks are pushed -backward and Kuropatkin’s entire -army continues to retire before the -onslaughts of the Japanese.</p> - -<p class="day">March 3.—General Kuropatkin is in retreat -toward Tie Pass and a portion of -Oyama’s army reaches a point eleven -miles west of Mukden.</p> - -<p>The battle around Mukden continues, the -results generally favoring the Japanese.</p> - -<p class="day">March 4.—General Kuropatkin’s left flank -suffers and his position grows still more -critical.</p> - -<p class="day">March 5.—A fierce artillery engagement -rages throughout the day and Marshal -Oyama continues his flanking movement.</p> - -<p class="day">March 6.—General Kuropatkin is hemmed -in and vigorously attacks the Japanese -left centre. Marshal Oyama relentlessly -tightens his lines in an endeavor to trap -his foe.</p> - -</div> - -<h3><i>General Foreign News</i></h3> - -<div class="news"> - -<p class="day">February 7.—As a result of the massacre of -Russian citizens on January 22, the Social -Democratic Party of Russia calls<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_254"></a>[Pg 254]</span> -on workmen to march on the Czar’s -palace with arms in their hands instead -of ikons and petitions.</p> - -<p>Father Gapon, the Russian revolutionary -leader, is reported to have escaped to -Switzerland.</p> - -<p>General Trepoff, the “man of iron” who -has been placed at the head of the police -system at St. Petersburg, threatens to -close the universities because of the revolutionary -sentiment there existing.</p> - -<p>Disorders continue in Russian Poland, -and several strikers are killed by the -troops.</p> - -<p>The assassin of Soisalon Soininen, Procurator-General -of Finland, is identified -a former student at one of the Finnish -universities.</p> - -<p class="day">February 8.—Because of the failure of the -employers to concede the demands of -their workingmen, new strikes are declared -at St. Petersburg, Vassili Ostroff -and other points in Russia.</p> - -<p>Strikers tear up the Siberian Railway east -of Irkutsk.</p> - -<p>Maxim Gorky, the Russian novelist, is -questioned in court and afterward returned -to prison.</p> - -<p>The students of one of the St. Petersburg -schools refuse to attend lectures because -of police interference.</p> - -<p>Because of the continued state of disorder -in Russian Poland, many refugees leave -the country.</p> - -<p>The new protocol between the United -States and Santo Domingo is signed at -Santo Domingo. It provides for the -territorial integrity of the island republic -and for ratification by the United -States Senate.</p> - -<p>The British Government decides that John -H. Gaynor and Benjamin H. Greene, -American refugees in Canada, may be -extradited and returned to the United -States.</p> - -<p>King Oscar, of Sweden, turns over the -government to Crown Prince Gustav.</p> - -<p class="day">February 9.—Many strikers are killed by the -troops at Sosnovice, Russian Poland.</p> - -<p>M. Rouvier, the new Premier of France, -submits a bill absolutely divorcing -church and state.</p> - -<p>German mine strikers denounce the action -of their leaders in voting to return to -work, and thousands decide to continue -the struggle.</p> - -<p class="day">February 10.—Over sixty strikers are killed -and hundreds are wounded by troops -at Sosnovice and Lodz in Russian Poland.</p> - -<p>Strikes are being renewed to such an extent -in St. Petersburg that the authorities -are growing apprehensive.</p> - -<p class="day">February 11.—Prince Paul Dolgorouki says -that the Czar must call a Zemsky Sober -(a popular assembly) if he would avoid -a revolution.</p> - -<p>The strike at Lodz now involves 100,000 -men.</p> - -<p>Four thousand ironworkers strike at -Kharkoff.</p> - -<p>Disquieting conditions are reported at Batoum -in the Caucasus, with a general -tie-up of railway lines in the vicinity.</p> - -<p class="day">February 12.—Three aeronauts make a balloon -voyage from London to Paris in a -little over six hours.</p> - -<p>The Czar promises a commission, including -workingmen, to deal with the labor -problem.</p> - -<p>Russian conscripts and reserves mutiny in -several provinces. Cossacks kill eighteen -at Kieff and wound over eighty.</p> - -<p>Franz Kossuth, the leader of the Hungarian -Independence Party, is received in -audience by the Austrian Emperor.</p> - -<p class="day">February 13.—The Russian Cabinet decides -to adopt reform measures, including -some sort of concessions to the workingmen.</p> - -<p>Arguments are concluded in the North -Sea case before the International Commission -at Paris. Decision, it is announced, -will be handed down at a later -date.</p> - -<p>It is reported from Essen that the German -coal strike, which has been one of the -most important industrial struggles in -German history, is ended.</p> - -<p class="day">February 14.—King Edward opens the British -Parliament. The speech from the -throne contains no significant passages.</p> - -<p class="day">February 15.—The strike in Warsaw again -becomes general.</p> - -<p>The Emperor of China approves a plan -for a parliament of the empire’s leading -officials.</p> - -<p>President Castro, of Venezuela, refuses to -arbitrate the asphalt claims and other -disputes between that country and the -United States.</p> - -<p class="day">February 16.—The strike at St. Petersburg, -which was reported to be abating, -breaks out with renewed force.</p> - -<p>On a test vote the Balfour government is -sustained in the British House of Commons -by a majority of 63.</p> - -<p>The Venezuela Supreme Court reaffirms -its order sequestrating the lands belonging -to the American Asphalt Company.</p> - -<p class="day">February 17.—The Grand Duke Sergius, -uncle and brother-in-law of the Czar -and the most reactionary and influential -of the Grand Ducal clique, is blown -to pieces by a bomb in the Kremlin, -Moscow. The assassin, who is dressed -in the garb of a workingman, is arrested.</p> - -<p class="day">February 18.—The Russian strike spreads -to the employees of many railways and -to the telegraphers.</p> - -<p>Two Russian officials are assassinated in -Transcaucasia.</p> - -<p>Consternation reigns among the rulers of -Russia, and members of the royal family -do not venture to appear in public.</p> - -<p>The British Government announces that -in 1911 it will take over the entire<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_255"></a>[Pg 255]</span> -property of the National Telephone -Company.</p> - -<p class="day">February 20.—Three thousand Russian students -and professors, in mass meeting, -denounce the Czar, demand constitutional -government and shut up the -University of St. Petersburg till September.</p> - -<p>Martial law is declared at Tsarskoe-Selo, -the residence of the Czar.</p> - -<p>China expresses the desire to pay all her -indemnity at once, but some of the -Powers object, as it deprives certain -officials of commissions and interest.</p> - -<p>Sir John E. Redmond leads an Irish attack -on the British ministry.</p> - -<p class="day">February 21.—The Home Rule amendment -offered by Sir John E. Redmond is defeated -in the British House of Commons, -and the Balfour government is -sustained, but by the reduced majority -of 50.</p> - -<p>A general revolt against the Russian Government -is reported throughout the entire -Caucasus region.</p> - -<p class="day">February 22.—The Armenians seize three -towns in the Caucasus.</p> - -<p>Sir John E. Redmond renews his attack -on the Balfour ministry, and the government -majority is still further reduced -to 42.</p> - -<p>Polish disturbances continue, and all -trains from Warsaw on the Vienna line -are discontinued.</p> - -<p>Many bodies of slain strikers are found -in the streets of Baku, a town in the -Caucasus.</p> - -<p>Workmen destroy factories at Riga, -Southern Russia.</p> - -<p class="day">February 23.—The London <i>Times</i> states -that the Czar has decided to call a -Zemsky Sober, or popular assembly, to -decide, among other things, as to the -continuation of the war in the Far East. -The German Court, on the other hand, -gives out the statement that the Czar -is determined to continue the war.</p> - -<p>The Tartars are turned loose on the Armenians -in the Caucasus revolt. The -number of corpses found in the streets -of Baku is reported as high as 300. The -revolt continues in other towns in the -region, 40,000 Georgians being involved.</p> - -<p>The strike extends at Warsaw and more -railway lines are tied up.</p> - -<p>Leonide Andreef, a famous Moscow author, -known as “The Little Gorky,” is -arrested.</p> - -<p>Funeral services are held over the remains -of Grand Duke Sergius at Moscow. The -Czar attends a requiem at Tsarskoe-Selo. -Both ceremonies pass without special -incident.</p> - -<p class="day">February 24.—An unsuccessful attempt is -made to assassinate President Morales, -of Santo Domingo. Five persons are -arrested.</p> - -<p>The famous Simplon Tunnel through the -Alps, leading from Switzerland to Italy, -is completed.</p> - -<p>It is announced from London that Sir -Henry Irving, the famous actor, is so -broken in health that he may never -again appear on the stage.</p> - -<p>A coffin believed to contain the long-sought -remains of John Paul Jones, the American -Revolutionary naval hero, has been -found in Paris.</p> - -<p>Strikes and rioting continue practically -throughout the entire Russian empire, -many railway lines are tied up, and -moujiks are becoming fired with the -idea of a general land division.</p> - -<p class="day">February 25.—The International Commission -to inquire into the North Sea incident -concludes its sittings in Paris and -hands down its decision that the action -of Admiral Rojestvensky, commander -of the Russian Baltic fleet, -in firing on the British fishing vessels -was unjustified.</p> - -<p>The Warsaw railway strikes are reported -partially settled, but a street railway -strike begins and disturbances continue.</p> - -<p>Severe fighting between the Armenians -and the Mussulmans continues in the -Caucasus region; leading officials and -merchants are assassinated at Batoum, -and revolutionary manifestoes in favor -of a republic are circulated broadcast.</p> - -<p>The Countess of Warwick begins an automobile -tour of Great Britain for the -purpose of assisting the various labor -candidates for Parliament.</p> - -<p>A general railway strike begins in Italy, -the workmen being dissatisfied with the -treatment proposed to be given them -under the bill creating State management -of railways.</p> - -<p>It is announced that the Czar has decided -not to call the Zemsky Sober, and that -he has irrevocably decided that the war -with Japan must go on.</p> - -<p class="day">February 27.—Maxim Gorky, the famous -Russian novelist, is released from prison -only to be rearrested by order of General -Trepoff and banished to Riga.</p> - -<p>President Morales lays before the Dominican -Congress the protocol with the -United States.</p> - -<p>Berlin’s new cathedral is dedicated in the -presence of the Emperor and delegates -from all parts of the world.</p> - -<p>The Czar, in an effort to break the strike, -orders a raise of wages on State railroads -and in Government arsenals.</p> - -<p>The disturbances in Russian Poland are -augmented by a serious revolt of the -peasantry in fifty villages.</p> - -<p>A second Kishineff horror is reported from -Theodosia in the Crimea, where forty-seven -Jews were killed and many more -injured in a recent massacre.</p> - -<p class="day">February 28.—The strike situation in Russia -grows steadily worse, especially in -Poland, where a coal famine is threatened.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_256"></a>[Pg 256]</span></p> - -<p>The Russian Council of Ministers decides -on more repressive measures and definitely -refuses to call the Zemsky Sober.</p> - -<p class="day">March 1.—The workmen selected by the -Czar to organize a commission on the -labor situation meet and demand concessions -from the Government before -taking further action.</p> - -<p>Lord Selbourne is chosen British High -Commissioner in South Africa in place -of Lord Milner, resigned.</p> - -<p class="day">March 2.—The Russian ministry votes to -grant the people religious freedom.</p> - -<p>The majority for the present British ministry -is reduced to 24.</p> - -<p class="day">March 3.—The Czar calls a representative -assembly, but without power except to -consult and advise.</p> - -<p>Rioting continues in Russian Poland and -a general strike is ordered at St. Petersburg.</p> - -<p class="day">March 4.—Cossacks kill nine students and -wound many more at Tomsk.</p> - -<p class="day">March 5.—The Czar’s action in calling an -assembly has little or no influence on -the Russian situation, which grows more -grave.</p> - -</div> - -<h3><i>Obituary.</i></h3> - -<div class="news"> - -<p class="day">February 7.—Joseph H. Manley, prominent -Republican politician, dies at his home -in Augusta, Me., aged 62.</p> - -<p class="day">February 8.—Rear-Admiral Frank C. Cosby, -of the United States Navy, dies at the -age of 65.</p> - -<p class="day">February 9.—Adolf von Menzel, famous German -painter, dies in Berlin.</p> - -<p>Chief-Justice Pardon E. Tillinghast, of -the Supreme Court of Rhode Island, -dies at the age of 68.</p> - -<p>Henry W. Blodgett, former United States -District Judge, dies at the age of 84.</p> - -<p class="day">February 11.—Sylvester Scovel, the well-known -war correspondent, dies in Havana, -aged 36.</p> - -<p class="day">February 14.—James C. Carter, leading New -York lawyer, dies at the age of 78.</p> - -<p class="day">February 15.—General Lew Wallace, the -celebrated author, dies at his home in -Crawfordsville, Ind., aged 78.</p> - -<p>William Cullen Bryant, publisher of the -Brooklyn <i>Times</i>, dies at the age of 56.</p> - -<p class="day">February 16.—Jay Cooke, once famous as a -financier, dies at the age of 83.</p> - -<p class="day">February 20.—Norton P. Otis, Member of -Congress from New York, dies at the -age of 65, at his home in Yonkers, N. Y.</p> - -<p class="day">February 21.—Jacob Worth, well-known -Brooklyn politician and race-track man, -dies at Hot Springs, Ark.; age, 67.</p> - -<p class="day">February 23.—W. F. G. Shanks, a well-known -New York newspaper and magazine -editor, dies in Bermuda, aged 68.</p> - -<p class="day">February 24.—Sidney Dillon Ripley, Treasurer -of the Equitable Life Assurance -Society, dies from the effects of -an operation for appendicitis, at New -York.</p> - -<p class="day">February 25.—Edward Cooper, ex-Mayor of -New York and only son of Peter Cooper, -dies at New York City, aged 81.</p> - -<p class="day">February 27.—Honorable George S. Boutwell, -former Governor of Massachusetts, -United States Senator and Secretary of -the Treasury, dies at his home at Groton, -Mass., aged 87.</p> - -<p>Harry Morris, well-known American comedian, -dies at New York, aged 49.</p> - -<p>Henry C. Whitney, formerly one of Chicago’s -leading lawyers, dies at Salem, -Mass., aged 74.</p> - -<p>Richard A. Donnelly, Quartermaster-General -of New Jersey since 1890, dies at -his home in Trenton, aged 64.</p> - -<p class="day">March 1.—Mrs. Jane Lathrop Stanford, -widow of Leland Stanford and famous -for her gifts to education, dies suddenly -in Honolulu. Subsequent investigation -shows she was poisoned.</p> - -<p>Edward O. Wolcott, former United States -Senator from Colorado, dies at Monte -Carlo, Monaco, aged 56.</p> - -<p class="day">March 4.—H. L. Muldrow, Assistant Secretary -of the Interior under President -Cleveland, dies at Starkville, Miss.</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p class="f120"><i>Gobbled It All</i></p> - -<p class="drop-cap">SMITH—Some of our rich men claim it isn’t right to leave anything behind -them.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Smythe</span>—That’s their way exactly. Wherever they have been they have -left mighty little behind them.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="f120"><i>The Legal Acrobat</i></p> - -<p class="drop-cap">JUDSON—How did that expert come to contradict himself on the second -trial?</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Bludson</span>—The other side hired him.</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<p class="space-above3">Extract from a three-column review in the -<i>San Francisco Examiner</i>:</p> - -<p class="blockquot"> “Mr. Hastings has touched the very core of -the matter respecting the proclivities of our doddering plutocracy. -Throughout his book he has revealed that plutocracy in its true light -and shown it to be something utterly conscienceless and debased. No -more scathing review of the situation, as it is seen at present, could -possibly be given in a work of fiction.”</p> - -<table summary=" " cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"> - <tbody><tr> - <td class="tdc"><img src="images/king.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="354" /></td> - <td class="tdc"><p class="f300"><b>SHALL WE<br /><span class="ws2">HAVE A</span> - <br /><span class="ws5">KING?</span></b></p></td> - </tr> - </tbody> -</table> - -<p class="blockquot">Will the United States be a monarchy in 1975? Have you read -“THE FIRST AMERICAN KING,” by George Gordon Hastings? -It is a dashing romance in which a scientist and a detective of today -wake up seventy-five years later to find His Majesty, Imperial and -Royal, William I, Emperor of the United States and King of the -Empire State of New York, ruling the land, with the real power in the -hands of half a dozen huge trusts. Automobiles have been replaced -by phaërmobiles; air-ships sail above the surface of the earth; there -has been a successful war against Russia; a social revolution is brewing. -The book is both an enthralling romance and a serious sociological -study, which scourges unmercifully the society and politics of the -present time, many of whose brightest stars reappear in the future -under thinly disguised names. There are wit and humor and sarcasm -galore—a stirring tale of adventure and a charming love-story.</p> - -<p class="center">Net $1.00, postpaid. All Booksellers,<br /> -or sent postpaid upon receipt of price by</p> - -<p class="f150"><b>TOM WATSON’S MAGAZINE</b></p> -<p class="center">121 West 42d Street,<span class="ws4">NEW YORK CITY</span></p> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<p class="bigfont no-indent"><b>“TOM WATSON”</b></p> -<p class="blockquot no-indent">is the one historian through whom we get the point -of view of the laborer, the mechanic, the plain man, in a style that is -bold, racy and unconventional. There is no other who traces so vividly -the life of a <i>people</i> from the time they were savages until they -became the most polite and cultured of European nations, as he does in</p> - -<p class="bigfont no-indent"><b>THE STORY OF FRANCE</b></p> -<p class="center">In two handsome volumes, dark red cloth, gilt tops, price $5.00.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>“It is well called a story, for it reads like a fascinating -romance.”—<i>Plaindealer</i>, Cleveland.</p> - -<p class="space-below2">“A most brilliant, vigorous, human-hearted story this: -so broad in its sympathies, so vigorous in its presentations, so vital, so -piquant, lively and interesting. It will be read wherever the history -of France interests men, which is everywhere.”—<i>New York Times’ Sat. Review.</i></p> - -</div> - -<p class="bigfont no-indent"><b>NAPOLEON</b></p> -<p class="center"><b>A SKETCH OF HIS LIFE, CHARACTER,<br />STRUGGLES AND ACHIEVEMENTS.</b></p> - -<p class="center">Illustrated with Portraits and Facsimiles.<br /> -Cloth, 8vo, $2.25 net. (Postage 20c.)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p>“The Splendid Study of a Splendid Genius” is the caption of a -double-column editorial mention of this book in <i>The New York American -and Journal</i> when it first appeared. The comment urged every reader of -that paper to read the book and continued:</p> - -<p>“There does not live a man who will not be enlarged in his thinking -processes, there does not live a boy who will not be made more -ambitious by honest study of Watson’s Napoleon * * *</p> - -<p>“If you want the best obtainable, most readable, most intelligent, -most genuinely American study of this great character, read Watson’s -history of Napoleon.”</p> - -</div> - -<p class="bigfont no-indent"><b>“TOM WATSON”</b></p> - -<p class="blockquot no-indent">in these books does far more than make -history as readable as a novel of the best sort. He tells the truth -with fire and life, not only of events and causes, but of their -consequences to and their influence on the great mass of people at large. -They are epoch-making books which every American should read and own.</p> - -<p class="center space-above2 space-below2">Orders for the above books will be filled by<br /> -<span class="smcap">Tom Watson’s Magazine</span>, 121 West 42nd Street, New York City.</p> - -<div class="transnote bbox"> - -<p class="f120 space-above1">Transcriber’s Notes:</p> - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<p class="indent">Antiquated spellings were preserved.</p> - -<p class="indent">Typographical errors have been silently corrected.</p> - -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TOM WATSON'S MAGAZINE, VOL. I, NO. 2, APRIL 1905 ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. 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