Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, January 26, 1921, Page 2

B R s | | ] WEQNESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 26, 1021 . PUBLISHED EVERY AFTERNOON EXGEPT SUNDAY " §- ] THE KEMIDJI'PIONEER PUBLISHING CO. ! ‘%, CARSON, ‘Presi E. H. DENU, Sec. and Migx. 3 t G. W. gkxnvf‘fi'fi Editor J. D. WINTER, City Editor bl Telephone 922 A AR R i idji, Mi as second-class matger, hw;d at the postoffice at Bemidji nnuatl.s‘ ey 3 5 under Act of Congress of — ; 5 {ion ‘paid to anonymous contributions. Wiriter’s name must| the ex?t‘odr, but nofiecemfly for publication. Communiea- the Weekly Pioneer must reach this office not lajer than Tuesday| to insure publication in the current issme. . - ey i I SCRIPTION RATES i svm ,n s By Mail TN 6.00 eeneneeess 3:00 1.50 55 15 : | One Year ,..... ; Six Months .cccenciemusmessorsres 2‘50i. Thipe Months —memere 128 THE Y PIONEER—Twelve pages, published every Thursday. and sent p:t!::;cx:dd to any address fcr, in advance, $2.00. OFFICIAL COUNTY AND CITY PROCEEDINGS i TO CURB GRAIN GAMBLING Yy : R reputation of “Herb” Hoover as a “practical man” is ~in da’l:;:r_ oli' becoming impaired if he insists on §he qdoptan of his suggestion for curbing the evils of speculations in grain) and other food products on the curb market§ -and 'exchanggs.i " Mr. Hoover, appearing before the house agricultural commit-| " téle, expressed the opinion that the bad effects of spec‘u]atmg in grain futures would be largely overcome, if pot eliminated, by “limiting the quantity of the commodity which could be llged . in speculative trades. . . . . " : ‘A's the man on the outside might interpret his plan, give the grain gamblers enough of the commodity to keep them intex-|: ‘ested in the game, but not enough to worlg any injury, to the p:;o- 4 ducers or the consumers—ijust like limiting thg afi‘ogmentvof candy for the small son of the family so his digestion will not b}e impaired. ) g g 1 x 5 The country got along very well during the yvaT‘WIthm_u the exchanges whose principal business is gamblmg in grain futures—running the price of wheat and other grain up and down, just like a small boy playing with a monlgey on a stick— the public playing the part of the 'monkey. Is it reasonable to . suppose that speculation in grain is necessary? | ) i When it comes to enlisting the interest of the.Amencan peo&)le in giving assistance to the millions of qeefly in Europe, My. Hoover is a decided success, but his prescription for curing the ills of grain gambling should be given at least the twice- over before it is taken seriolisly. v 0- i ' -IGNORING THE PUBLIC ' " While representatives of organized labor and organizations .of manufacturers in the United States show a reluctance to take the aggressive in the contest over the “open shop” and the “closed shop,” jndications are that the test between these two policies is about to bé made. The United States C}lgmber of Commerce took occaston recently to declare its hostility to t}m “closed shop’’ plan of organized labor. The Nationpl Associa- tion of Manufacturers has followed with a declaration for the “open‘shop.” ~ . . s Representatives of organized labor have called a meeting in Washington for February 23, and labor leaders declare: un- -equivocally that the principal purpose of this conclave is to make plans to oppose any intention upon the part qf manufac- -turers to bring about the rul eof the:‘“open shop” in industry. Labor leaders assert that industrial plants have been closed down for the purpose of bringing about a reduction in wages, with the ultimate purpose of crushing labor organizations, . ‘Manufacturers take the position that the “‘open shop”—frée- ‘dom to work whether or not a member of a labor organization— is the.only American way. - 5 e " The general public can”hardly have any prejudice in the contest, for its interests depend on the smooth eperation of the relations between capital and labor. It does desire, however,!. that the fullest possible justice be done to all interests involved| in industry, and as the “third party” in labor and other disputes| - affecting industry, it has rights that should have consideration.| o : If you loan your automobile to a friend, better go along to! see that he does not use it for carrying liquor. i -0 | . If there is to be another war, the profiteers should be the -first persons to be drafted—if any can be found. A ——0 i « The average policeman could be depended on to shoot rea-| .’sonably straight if he could see the crooks who deserve the lead. - 0 It is a pity that some of the poets and statesmen who glori- fied war in other days could not see some of its present results. Qe i One bysone the big breweries of the country are liquidating| their affairs, but the owners would rather liquidate the thirsty.| X Appm:ently you cannot make your husband go to church by going on a' _hunger strike. The humane way would be té take a club and put the wood | “to him. That would give him a chance to fight back.—Winnipeg Free Pres&! An pnkpown man is wandering in the woods near Brockville, Ont. He! stays quiet in the_ daytime, but at night disturbs the people by shouting.! gzg-ds lik:2 a description of a jazz hound.—Winnipeg Free Press. "lnco'mg Tax Puzzles to Be Solved,” s;;s a headline. Puzzles describe the situation exactly. And the puzzles drive many men to drink moonshine Y yhen they attempt to_‘!olve them.—Mankato Free Press. . A & REY . i 1ou] g‘h‘By the time Mr¢Harding gets his golf togs on in Florida and makes| hat seventh Thole ina birdie three” the furrows of care will, have chased ! emselyes,from his_brow.—St. Paul Dispatch. > 3 ;5 prpposes a federal tax on all banl: deposits, calculated | 0,000 & year. It might work—provided the depository left the banks.—Red Wing Republican. L St \ g j&ptnntendent Vassaly of the St. Cloud reformatory is opposed to P! ital punishment. So is every inmate of the institution under his manage- ment.—Mankato Free Press. ; A n:ian whfi» carried a stick of dynamite in his pocket was kicked by a mule_and—well, it was always a pretty hard combination to beat.— St. Gloud Daily. Times. ST ~ . Summing it all up the economists think that times will be better just as sdon. as the people get tired waiting for prices to hit bottom.—Detroit ‘. What - |, Wwould really begin. Webster designed | person in‘4 sult of mauve-colored silk | | plans. Now for the gentleman himself. | colored son of' Senegambia,” or T When John Stuart Webster, mining engineer and kicker-up-of-dust on dis- tant tralls, flagired the S. ', L. A, & | S. L. Limited at-a blistered board sta- tion in Death valley, California, he had definitely resolved to do certain things. To begin, he would invade the | dining car at the first call to dinner and order approximately twenty dol-| { Jars’ worth of ham and eggs, which' provepder is. as all who know will certify, the pinnacle of epicurean de- | light to an oll sour-dough coming out | of the wildethess with a healthy bank- | roll and a healthier nppetite Gz B e e eam w| Following the "ham and eggs, Mr. ‘Webster planned to saturate himself | from youl to ¥etmiform appendix.with | nicetine, which ‘he purposed obtaining | from tobacco with nicotine in it. It was a week simee hé had ‘smoked any- | & thing with an edor even remotely like tobacco, for the Augpst tempernture in Death valley is 1o respévter of moist- wre in any wan or his fobacco. Upon | rival in Salt Take City his spree ‘chartering a taxicab and proceeding forthwiih to -a hotel where he would engage n sunny room with a bath, fill the batktub, climb blithely in and soak for two hours at least, for it was near- 1y eight months since he had had a | regular bath and he purposed making | the most of his opportunity. His long- | drawn ablutions at length over, he | would don a silken dressing gown and | slippers, order up a,r barber and pro- | ceed to part with’enough hair and whiskers to upkolster an nutomobile, | und-upon: the completion of his ton- sorial adventures he would encase his pajamas, climb into bed . and stay there for forty eight hours, merely wak- fag long enougly to take another bath, order up periodical consignments of haift and?eggs,land incidentally, make certain ‘that a friendly side-winder or chuckwalla hadn't erawled under the ket with'Lim. So much for John Stuart Webster's I No one—not even the Pullman porter, shrewd Judge of mankind that he was —cotld havg’discerned in the chrysalls. that flagged the Thnited the butterdy of faskion that was to be. As the; ebony George raised'the vestibule plat- | form, opened the car door and looked | out, he had no confidence in the lean, | sun-baked big man standing by the train. Plainly the fellow was not n first-class passenger but a wandering prospector, for he was dog-dirty, a yuin of rags and hairy as a tarantuln. - The only clean thing about him was a heavy-calibered automatic pistol of the gipg at his hip, ay coach an’ tourist up in !ront,& tke knight of the whiskbroom an- nounced in disapproving tones and ted to close down the platform. So I perceived,” Johu Stuart Web- ster replied blandly. “I alse observed that you failed to employ the title ‘s’ when addressing a white man. Tut that platform baek and hop out here with )'ou'g' little stool, you saddle- make'yqu.a hard porter to catch.” “Yngsah; yassah!” the porter sput- tered, ‘and obeyed instantly. Mr. Web- sier handed him a disreputable-looking suittase and stepped aboard in’state, only. to be informed tlhat there wasn't n vacant first-class berth on the train, “Yes, I know I'm dirty,” the late ar- rival announced cheerfully, “but still, s Bobby Bufns once remarked, ‘a Man's a man for o’ that'—and I'm not msanitary.” “I'm very sorrs,” the conductor re- plied perfunctorily and endeavored to pass on, but Webster secured a firm xrip on his lapel and frostrated the es- cape. / “You're not sorry,” the ragged wan- derer declared, “not one little Dbit, You're only apprehensive. However, you needn't he. There is no wild life on me, brother, 1 ure you ' “But T tell you, tke train is full up. You'll have {o roost in thelday coach or the tourist. I'm very sor 2 “Nevertheless, despit ur deep grief, something tells me you're spoofing, so while Iynust, of necessity, nccept your suggestion,.sald acceptance will be but temporary. In about two hours, young fellow, you're going to make the alarm- ing discovery that you have bats in your belfry.” Aud with a whiskery grin which, under the civcumstances, was charming in ifs absolute freedom from malige, Mr. Webster departed for the day coach. Two hours later the conductor found him in the atorementioned day conch. prospector, and a half breed Tdian, and waited uatil -Mr. Webster, on 2 bob-tailed flush, bluffed the Chintman a-halt pot. you Mr. Joha 8. Webster?” “Sour wuption that T am that person is so ewinently correct that it would be a waste of time for me to Peter B.kyne .= Author .of “Cappy oo ‘Ricks,” “’?he Valley ; i of the Giants,” Etc. - I the ikl you're not the only ¢la nt o train, T golnis to fell'You Something about yourself. In your pocket you have a telegram; it is from Chicago, where your pay-check originates; it is short, sweet and compreheasive, con- taining an order ‘which you are going to obey. It reads somewhat as fol- lows: “‘My friend, John S. Webster, wires me from Blank that L:e boarded train ‘at Blank and was refused first-class accommodation because he looked like a hobo. Give him the best you have in stock, if you have to throw somebody off the traia to accommodate him. Signed, ‘Sweeney.’ “Do I hit the target?” The conductor nodded. “You win, Mr. Webster,” he admitted. “Ocensionally I lose, old timer. Well?” “No offense, Mr. Webster, no offense, can let you have a stateroom——". at’s trading talk.; Il take it.” The conductor gave him his receipt | and led him back to.the stateroom in the ‘observation car. At the door Web- | ster handed him a five-dollar bill. “For You, son,” he said geatly, “just to take ing out of what I'm about to tell you. Now that I possess your receipt | and Know that ten men and a boy cap- not take it away from me, I'm going to tell you who Sweeney is.” “Who is he?” tke conductor queried. .\lrend_v lie suspected he had been out- generaled. “Swgeney,” said Mr. Webster, “is the | chief clerk in one of Chicago’s most pretentious hotels afd a young man who can find all the tangles of a sit- uation’without working it out in loga- rithms. T wired him; $he details of my predicament ; he heard the Macedonian | cry and kicked in.:Neat, is it not?” The conductor grinned. “I haté to | take your morey,” he declared. | “Don't. ¢ at preseat Im very | flush. Yes, siv, I'm as grosperous as a'| asked her to have dinrer with you this evening.” % “Well?” the fellow ectoed belliger- ently. 4 “It's all bad form. You shouldn't| try to make a mash on a lady. I don’t | know who she is, of course, ‘but she's not common aad for the sake of the| mother that bore me I always respect and protect a good woman and whale h—— out of those that do qot.” He reached inside his ftu\temolq;'pnd pressed the bell: The porter;arrived on | “George," said Mr.: Webster, I my memory; serves stop five minutes ‘for ders”y § “Yassah.® N At e “Remain right here and let me'off as soon as the train comes teo Whei the frain-slid’ to it geinding | halt and the’ porter ‘opesed:the’ car door, Webster pointed. “Of e “This is no nice place-to pull off a serap.” ) “See here, neighbor, I-don’t- want to Lave any trouble with you—0>" = | “I know it. All the same, you're-go- ing to have it—or come with me to that young lady ard beg her pardon.” “All right. Tl apologize,” and he started forward as if to puss Webster in the vestibule, on his way to the ob- servation car, whither the subject of | his annoying attention had gone. Two | steps brought him witkin striking dis- tance of his enemy, and before Web- ster could dodge, a sizzling right- handed blow landed on his jaw and set | him back on his haunches in the ves-| tibule. It was almost a knockout—almost, but not quite. As Webster's body | struck the floor the big autbmatic came out of the holster; swinging in a weak circle, it covered the otlier. “TLat was a dalsy,” Webster fum- | bled. “If you mové before my head clears, I'll put four bullets’into you be- fore you ‘reach the corridor.” & He waited about a minute, then with the gun he pointed to the car door and the masher stepped out. Webster hand- ed the porter his gun and followed; two minutes later he returned, drag- ging his assailant by the collar. Up the steps Le jerked the big battered hulk and tossed it in the corner of the vestibule, just as the girl came through the car, making for the diner up ahead. ' Again she favored him with fhat calm, gra yet vitally interested gaze, nodded appreciatively, made.as if to pass o1, changed her mind, and said | yearling burro gpto hi§ cars i alfalfa and the only use Uhaj ever found for money. is to make otifr people happy © with ‘it, thereby gétthg some enjoy- ment'out of it myse rflwn I'm bi'oke T'll. make some more’?! %" v And Mr. Webstgr refired to’ his lord- won sanctuary, where Le removed as much alkali and perspiration as’ he could, carded his long hair aad whisk- ers, manicured his finger nails with:a Jack-knife, changed hiy shirt, provided five minutes of industry for George, with Lis ‘whiskbroom and brush, and set himself patiently t;p await the first 4 call to dinner. 4 Presently 4 pin well jowled, cutried, flashily dressed big man, of passed in the cor- | the head of the | train. An in t later a wormman's | voice said very distinctly: “I do not know you, sir; 1 do not | wish to know you, and it is loathsome | of you to per in addvessing me. If You do not stop your annoying tions, I shall call the conductor. Beauty in distress,” about Webster's ag ridor, going tow: Joha ¢ Webster soliloquized. “I look so much like an Angdra goat T might as well butt in” Helstepped to the door of his stateroom) A, girl stood fn tl:e vestibule, confronting the man who had just pa: ster bowed. . ) afd, e biped, my sole purpose |Zl! 0 address you Is to suggest that-there is not the sljghtest necessity |' over the wa for taking tlis matter up with the con- ductor. T am here and very-much at your service.” i The girl turned—and John Stuart Webster art flopped twice in rapid succession, like a trout newly grassed. She was ns Jovely as a royal flush. Her starry glance began at his miner's | bootd, traveled up his old soiled, whip- | | to do, nothing Hhdt:he 1 Webster's door, Web- | the eircumstaiices. o use his chivalry, “Madame, or mademoiselle, as the| ers did obeur to hin. Hastily he backed “unlike this | into | blamed disreputable. “You Are a Very Courtly Gentleman.” very: gravely: “Yol 1y gentlemuifr. ir.” . He bowed.. here wy —uyery court- notking elsd id say under as a wedge to open an acquaintance | never occurred to im—but his whisk- his stateroom and closed the door, presently he rose and surveyed | himself eritically in the small mirror hstand. Johany,”. he murmured, “we can’t go into the diner now. We're too | were bad e Lung the enongh hefore that big shanty on our right eye, bu our physical and personal feelings, far be it from us to de our fridescent orb fa public. Besides. one lobk at that cord trousers, over his light blue cham- | bray shirt and found the maa behind | the whiskers. favored him with a quick, curious utiny and a grav sweet smile, ank you so much, sir,” ! she a ered, and passed down the corridor to the observation car. i “Well, old-timer,” Webstaif ‘greeted | the fellow who had been antigying her, I “how_about you? What do you think we_ ought to do about this little af- fajr?” i ks FThe sensible thing' would be to do =nothing. You might start something | you couldu’t finish.” ¥ “That's ‘@ dare,” Webster declared | bright nd wasn't it the nmortsd | Huckleberry Finn who remarked that | anybody that'd take a dare would suck | zes and steal sheep?” He,was silint | a few secouds, appraising hisian: 41 | suppose you cofumenedd operations by moving into her section and asking it she would like to have the window open and enjoy the fresk: air. She re bufted you, but heing n persistent | devil, you followed her into the ob-| servation car, and in all probabili you ogled her ak lnncheen and vuined | her appetite. Aad just now, when yon wet her in this vesiibule, you doubt- - appears to be needed to aid prohibition is a little more hair oil| dispute it.” Webster replied quizzical- | jecs jostled her, begged her pardon | {‘-‘lldjnot so much aleohol in some of the beverages.—St. Cloud Daily Times. | Iy, “Huowever, Jjust to prove that] apq without waiting to be introduced | could hope to challenge his scrious at- | ignorance that John Stuart Webster - B .— 1 i " € [ , outrageous fortune. It was altogethe queen is cnough to do us for the r mainder of our natural life, and a se p/n)wr introduction, e us into a suicide’s | grave.” e sighed, rang for the porter | and told him to send a waiter for hix order, since he would fain break his | fast in the privacy of kis stateroom. And When the waiter came for the order, such was Mr. Webster's mental perturbation that ham and eggs were furthest from his thoughts. He or- dered a steak with French fried po-! tatoes. Lo » . . . . . . Jonit Stuart Websterpassed a best- .less night. Sleep’camie to himZin hour- | Iy iastallments, from wkich he would rouse to ask himself whether-it was worth while to continue 'to go through the motions of living, o atight at the nest station; seek a lonely ar unfre-| quented spot and there surrender damnable, In a careless moment, Fate had accorded him a glimpse of the only womaa he had ever met and de- sired to meet again—for Webster was entially a man’s man, and I | fession and environment had. militated against lis opportunities for mcutingv estragrdinary women; and extraordi-) aary women were the only kind that | once across his horizoa and was gone, i Thomas, James, Jude and Simon, and. | Websterian message. E | know, what she looks like. | somining which Father Time had done | tentfon. Fate had accorded him a signal opportunity for knighty combat fn.the | service of this extraordinary woman, and in the absence of a formal intro- duction, what man could desire a‘fiher opportunity for getting acquainted! If only their meeting had but been de- layed two weeks, ten days, a week! Once free of ‘his ugly cocoon of rags and whiskers, the butterfly Webster wzuld not have hesitated one brief in-, thnt to inform himself of ‘that young lady’s address, following his summary disposal ‘of her tormeator. . 7" . But in aill things there is a limit, and John Stuart Webster's right eye constituted a deadling beyond which, as.a gentleman, he dared'not venture; so. with_ a_heavy heart Le howed to the inevitable. Brilliant and, miysteri- ous as a meteorite she had flashed 1In the privacy of hisstateroom Web- ster had ‘ham and eggs: for bredkfast. He was ligliting his second cigar when the porter knocked ‘and entered with an envelope. & 3 “Lady in the observation-car asked me to deliver this to you, sah,” he an- nounced importantly. . 1A It was a aote, freshly written on the train stationery. Webster. read:. ° ~ “The distressed lady desires to thanl; -the gentleman in stateroom; A for his chivalry of yesterday. $he is profoundly sorry that in her servige the gentleman in stateroom A wasibor| unfortunate as to acquire a red eye | with blue frimmings.” 4 i Jokn Stuart Webster swore his mightiest oath, “By the twelve apos- tles, Simon. Peter, Andrew, James, Joha, Philip, Bartholomeyw, Matthey, not omitting Judas Iscariot, the scaly scoundrel who ‘betrayed his Lord and Master!” He searched through an gld wallet. ;until he discovered a fairly ¢élean professional card, across the bat~ tom of whicl: he wrote, “Thank you. J. 8. W.” and sent it to the no-longer- distressed ladyd'i2'2" “The most signal adveature of life is now over,” he soliloquized an( turned to his cigar. “For the sake of | my self-respect, I had to let her know-| I'm not.a hobo! And ngw to the task of framing up a scheme for future acquaintance. I must learn her name and destlnation; so as a preliminary Tl interview the train conductors | He did and under tiie amcliorating influence of a five-dollar, bill theicen- ductor bent a respectful ear. to:the ! ¥ oo “In Car Seven,” he began, “{Tere’ls a young lady,, I do not know what sec- tion she occupics'néither @6 T Kndw | her ‘name - and destination.’s T".only | The conductor nodded. “And you | want to ascertain her name and, dest tination?” "+ 1 “I' qo.” 4 “All right. I have the unused por- tion of heritransportation: fo return ; to her bejore.we it Salt Lake; her | name is _on the ticket and the ticket | Indicates; her destination, Tl mal mental note of both as sgon as Iy identified her ticket.” % | A few hours later the conductor’ came to Webster’s stateroom and handed him a card upon which was written: Al 3 LR EMY S “Dolores ‘Ruey. From Los Angdéles, via San Pedro, Los Angeles” &.\Salt Take, to Salt Lake City. Dejver & tio Grande to- Denver, Burlington i0''St. YLouis, Ilinois Central to Neij: Orléfins. Stop-over at Denver” 7 John Studrt, Webster studied 'the name after the conduetor. withdyew. “Trat's a Spanish name?” Y solilo- quized, “but’ for all that, Ehe’s not a parakeet. All things considered, I gyess Tl take a chance aad investi- gate. . a E CHAPTER II. = e Webster's dreams of bliss Irad, with : very slight variations, comé’ frde a4« per sehedule. In Salt Lake City he abandoted ‘the beefstéuk-on W' dan aged eye for two businesslike leeches, which ™ quickly reduced ‘the nocturne | “effect avound his orl, enabling liw, | the third day, to saunter' fortl: amopg bis fellowmen. By the end of the! | week he was a being reincarnated, god | so0_he packed a huge new wardrobe- ! trunk with his latest purchases and Journeyed on- to Denver.. Colncident with his arrival there, we again take up the thread of, our story. One hour after Lis trunk artived the gentlemah from Death Valley. might have been observed standing before a cheval glass lookiag long and earnestly at the reflection of his mid- dle-aged person, the while he marked the fit of his new raiment, John Stuart Webster was all dressed_up, for the first time in three long, Tabor:rid, | den years, and was tremendously glad of it. He lighted a clgar and stepped forth into Seventeentl: street, along which he stroiled until he came to-a | certain . building into the elevator of which -he entered and wis whiskéd to the twelfth ‘floor, where “he “alighted ! and found himself befere a wide potal whick: bore in gold Jetters the words: | “Ecgincers’ Club.” " ER 11 The Engineers’ dlub’ was tlie“closest approach to a home that John Stuart ‘Webster had known' for twehty years, ; and ¢ for. the -slight job of Kal- on the edges of the close-cropped Webs sterian mustache, tle.returhed prodic | gnl might have stepped out of thd'club ' but vesterday. He would- not have taken the short end of a modest bet that even a fresh log had been placed | ! on the fire or that the domino-players over against the wall had won or 10st a drink or two and then resunred. play- fng—althougl: perchance there were a few more gray hairs in the thickly thatched head of old Neddy Jerome, sitting in his favorite - seat by the window and turning the cards in his | eternal game of solitaire; in blssfal | gers crossed. i money in | proposition, -Neddy. stood withia the portals of home and awaited the fatted calf. 3 Webster struck the upholstery of an adjacent chair a terrific blow with his stick—the effect of whiclr was to cause everybody in the room to- start and to conceal Mr. Webster momentarily in a cloud of dust, the while in a bel- lowing baritone he sang: “His father was a hard-rock miner: He comes from my home ‘town—" . “Jack , Webster! The deyil's own Kin!”: shouted Neddy Jexome, .He, swept theé cards into a heap and wad-" dled across the room,to:meet, this latest: assailant of the peace aad dig~ nity of the Engineers’ club. “You old, worthless, ‘ornery, no-good son of a lizard! Tve never been-so glad to See 2 man that didn’t owe me money. I've been , combing the; ‘Whole civilized world for you, for a month, at Iehst. Where the devil have you been?” Jobn Stuart- Webster beamed hap- pily upon his friend.. “Well, Neddy, you old stocking-knitter,” he replied quizzically, “since that is the case, I'm not surprised at your failure to find me. You've known me long enough to have remembered to confine your search to the uncivilized reaches.” “Well, you're here, at any rate and I'm happy. Now you settle down.” “Hardly, Neddy. “I'm young yet, you know—only forty. Still a real live man and not quite ready to degenerate into a card-playing, eat-drink-and-be- merry, die-of-inanition, sink-to-oblivion and ' go-to-h—— fireplace spirit!” And he prodded Jerome in the short ribs with a tentative thumb that caused the old man to wince. He permitted 1iis friend to drag him downstairs to the desefted lounge, where Jerome paused in the middle of the room and renewed Lis query: “Where have you been, I as “Out in Death valley, California, try- ing to pry loose a -fortune.” “Did yoi pry it?" ' ‘John Stiart Webster arched his eye- brows in mock reproach. “And you o can seec my new sujt, Neddy, my six- teen-dollar, made-td-order shoes and my horny hoofs encased ia silken hose —and ask that question? Freshly shaved and ironed and almost afraid to sit down and get wrinkles in my -trousers! Smell that!” He ,blew a cloud of cigar smoke into Jerome’s smiling face. The latter sniffed. “It smells expensive,” he replied. “Yes, and you can bet it tastes ex- peasive, too,” Webster answered, kanding his cigar-case to his friend. Jeroroe bit the end of his cigar and spat’derisively. “How muich have you made?” heé demanded bluntly. “It's none of your business, but T'Il tell you because I love you, Neddy. I've made one hundred thousand dollars.” “Chickén-fecd,” Jerome rotorted. “Johnny, I've been combing the min- eral belt of North and South America for you for a month.” ;. “Why -this sudden belated interest in’ me?” “I have a fine job for you, John—" “King’s , X.” " Webster interrupted, and showed both hands with the fin- “No plotting against my peace and comfort, Neddy. Haven’t I told you I'm all' dressed up for the first time in three years, that I have my pocket and more in bank? Man, I'm going to tread the -primrose path for a year before I get back into the harness again.” Jerome waved a deprecatory hand, figuratively brushing aside such feeble and inconsequential argument. “Are you foot-loose?” he demanded. “I'm mnot. I'm bound in golden chains—" “Married, eh? Great Scott, I might have guessed it. So youre on your honeymood, eh?” “No such luck, you vichy-drinking ieonoclast. If you had ever gotten far enough from this club during the past fifteen years.to get a breath of real fresh air, yow'd understand why I want to enjoy civilization for a week or two before I go back to a mine su- 2 | ‘Derintendent'$-éabifi on some bleak hill. No, sir-éc. 01d Jeremiah Q. Work and I have had a falling out. Dad burn your picture, Neddy, I want some class! I'vo been listening to a dago shift-boss playing the -accordeon for three years—and he could only play three tunes. Now I want Sousa's band. I've been bathing in tepid, dirly water- in a redwood sluice-box, and how I desire a steam room and a nee- dle shower and an osteopath. I've been bossing Greasers and Italians and was forced to learn their language to get results, and now I want to speak my mother tongue to my old friends, By thunder I'm going to have a new deal all around.” “Very well, Jack. Don’t excite your- self. Tl give you exactly thirty days to sicken of it all—and then I shall come and claim. my. property.” ‘Neddy, I'll not work for you. I'm mad. " I won't play.” + “You're it. I just tagged you.” - %I require a rest—but unfold your I was born a poor, weak . vessel: consumed ‘with a curiosity ' that was ever my ‘undeing. 1 can only protest that this is no Way to treat a friend.” “Nonsensel. My fiits job, And 1 Ndva,reft to.him. Business is busines saved it for you.” Jerome: leaned forward and laid his finger confidentially: - on « Wébster's knee; whereat the light-heartéd wan- derer caréfully 1ifted the finger, bruslied an imaginary speck of dirt from it, and set it down again. “Be serious, you ingrate” Jerome pro- tested. “Listen! Tve been working for two years on a consolidation up near Telluride, and Tve just put it across. Jack, it's the biggest thing in the country. Colorado Consolidated Mines Company, Limited. English capital, Jack. - Pay ’em 6 per cent. and they'll call you blessed. There’s twenty-five thonsand a year in It, with (Continued on Page 5) OWD_bi roth 0