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About Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1903-1919 | View Entire Issue (April 2, 1904)
(IftVRN caffinmMMHiin iwiwui DAILY CAPITAL JOURNAL, 8ALEM, OREGON, SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 1904. fe8M89eMMtaeetlCMe&0M9MM :,By William4 3e999e0ABe94raeee8Mtt9oofKB989 IP Bob Dromorton hail shouted In Uio mnrkot plnco, "I go a-whoop Ing," his purposo had not been n whit plalnor to his frlonds. It was patent In his manner, It was eloquent in his face. Ho mado love as a col lego boy goes out to see his team win a football gamo, hilariously and hap pily. Ho took his friends Into hla confldonco and they clapped him on tho back and. told him to go la and win. To Carol Delalno ho was a new thing In lovers, for ho was quite un ashamed nnd unabashed. Ho wanted both her and tho world at largo to know It and to lncludo themselves In his happiness. Good-looking Dromorton was with al, and hi manner was a potent charm of affection. He radiated n boyish confldonco and good-will 1 that made men's hearts warm to him as to a younger brother of whom they are both fond and proud. Jim Alklroiuscd to say cynically that It was a mystery to him why women had let Dob go unmarried as long as thoy had. When Bob first declared hlnnsolf Miss Dolalno hardly knew how toitoko him. Most men in love aro shy, and diffident, but young Dremortoni did not scorn to know tho first prlnolples of Uio accepted method of love-making. Sho told him with a llttlo laugh what was In her mind, but Dob mado light of it "Oh. that's all right. Maybe I don't understand tho proper frills, but I caro tremendously just tho samo. It docsn'j matter how you take mc.i Any old 1 way' 'will do, providing you do tako mo," ho assured her In his boy ish slangy way. Miss Delalno had never been in doubt as to her answer with othen men but this tlmo she was full of hesita tions Undoubtedly Dob was a charming follow, and well, hd did tug at her heart strings somotlmes. Sho wasn't at nil sure of hcrsclfi and sho lacked conviction that Dob, was suro of himself. Ho took tho matter too lightly; certainly ho did not fill tho rolo of lovor according to her preconception of how It should bo filled. "You talk as If I were buying a pair of gloves, or making an appoint ment to go out to tho links with you. This Is rather more serious than that," sho told him. His genial smllo beamed on hor. "You know tho old story of tho girl whoso mothor was expiating on tho seriousness of getting married. Tho girl answered that It was a good deal moro serious not to. Them's my sen timents," ho concluded ungrammati cally. "It Isn't qulto a Joko, Dob. I dare Bay you mean what you say, but I'm not going to aBsumo you mean It till you have given mo better ovldonco of tho fact," sho said, a llttlo coldly. And Dromorton had to takoi that rath or ambiguous statoment for an -answer. But-tho moro ho thought about It tha great or encouragomont he found In It. -If sho hadn't cared for him a bit Carol would nobhavo loft It that way. Sho wasn't a girl to keop ii man dangling out of coquetry. Within an hour ho had pursuaded himself from deepest gloom to a happy tolerance of tho situation. About that tlmo Alklro caught, sight of hla radiant facet Ho looked nt him from his chair 'in the club houso. "If lt will -relievo your mind I'm ready to recelvo confidences," he sug gested. Dod shook his head, smiling at him. "Oh, comA It'Bj written aW over your faco, boy. Please accept my heartiest, and all that sort oft thing" "You'll have to guess agaln.Alklro." "H'm! I wish, you wouldn't carry that happlest-man-ln-tho-world faco about with you if It doosn't mean any thing. You stalk about llko a god Just down from Olympus. My son, you're not tho first lover that has trod tho prlmroso path and com to grief In the end." Dremorton lapsed Into a chair and pushed a button. "I movo wo havo something on you for a too vivid use of the Imagination. You're, frank, you old cynic. Wow, wow I Al) bark, no bite!" It was perhaps fortunate for the poaco of mind of both men that neither of them knew that Bremer ton's Nemesis was waiting in tho shadow to touch him on the shoulder and-aummon him to almost tho worst thing that can befall a man In life. The "curtain had rung -down after Bernhardt's dying "L'Alglon," and Mcleod Raine, Author of "A Daughter, of people wer smiling nnd bowing to each other from box to box of tho Metropolitan. In tho midst of tho cheerful bustlo preparatory to depart ure there suddenly rang out tho heart stopping cry of "Fire!" Young fel lows . leaning debonairly over well gowned women straightened them selves adruptly with blanched faces. Countenances of mon of tho world, grown Immobile .from thirty years of repression, rovealod as by a voll snatched aside a raw, livid agony of fear. Laughtee fled tho red, curving lips of famous beauties and robbed them of tholr sparkling charm. For Just a heart-beat, an awful shudder ing silence held tho houso entranced. Then a scream rang out and another and an other. Tho nuUlonco got to Its feet In mad terror. With tho wild beast Instinct of self-preservation men trod down dainty, women, who stood botwoon..thcm and escape. It was all dreadful, horrible, impossible, yet true. For what followed Dromorton could never afterwards account Ho was exchanging Bomo banter with Carol at the moment of tho panic, and Mrs. Dolalno was smiling at them both from tho background. At tho first cry there came a fierce contraction of his heart. Everything slipped his mind oxcept a blind, unreasoning ter ror. A ghastly fear took him by tho throat. Ho was no longo a civilized man, but a trapped boa3t, stifling for air, and with tho prlmoval Instinct ho Hung asldo Mrs. Dolalno and bolted from tho box. Once In the alsol he fought madly for his own hand to win a wny to safoty. How long this madness lasted he could not tell. When at la3t ho camo to sanity ho was in tho cool night air, hatless, without his overcoat, still In tho boady perspiration his terror had brought out. Ho saw himself again a quivering mass of fear, flying from tho death which ho had loft tho woman ho lovod to moot nlone. A wavo of abject humili ation shivered through him. Ho could still seo Carol Delano's first Instinct lvo look of. appeal to him in that mo ment of pulsing foar, and ho cursed himself for a mlsorablo coward that ho had not rospondod to It. In his hoart ho knew that ho had forfeited not only nny. claim ho might havo established to tho girl ho loved, but also tho friendship of his clubmatos and his own solf-rospcct. v Slowly ho mado his way back into tho thoater. Fortunately tho flro had boon smothered and tho stampede stopped In tlmo to avoid tho torrlble catastropho which had been throat onen. A fow women had boen seri ously hurt, but thore wero fortunatoly no casualties. As ho passed In people wore still gathered In oxcltod groups, discussing how It had happenod. Ho found tho Delaines In tho box whoro ho had loft them, and Alklro was help ing them into their wraps. Dromorton remembered that ho had seen Alklro In Uio parquet during tho performance. Mrs. Delalno turned on tho young man a white faco of- scorn. Ono sentence of contemptuous Irony fell from her lips before she could ropross It. "I suppose you havo been calling tho carriage for us, Mr. Dremorton." Tho boy attompted no npologlos and no explanations. Ho knew that his orlmo was without palliation. Ex ousos wore tho ono degree of Infamy to which ho could not stoop. Ho had shown tho white foather; ho had boon proved a poltroon of tho worst Bortj at least he would havo tho spirit enough to accept the punishmont of his condemnation without whining. And tho oxtont of that punishmont was already boglnnlng to come homo to him. Jim Alklro, who had flown, to help tho Dolalno's nt his desertion, felt Dob's dogrodatlon so keenly that he could not look him In tho faco. He seomel to feel something indocont In the nakedness of the young man's ter ror. When ho was forcod to speak di rectly to him thero was In his voice a studied gontlono6S, as though he ware nikini n a child In a delirium. And Carol the hopelessness In hor faoe cut him to tho quick. He did not need to bo told now that sho had lovrfd him. Tho pain of his self-prervatlon stared out of her beyond concoalraont or de nial. He felt that It would have boen kinder of him to hav struck her with a knife. His fall was whispered that night at the club. It rained In a subdued murmur from lip to lip next day. Men lunching nt down town restaurants spoko of It with a kind of secret shame. Womon rotalled It over their tea. Whonovor Dromorton met his kind ho brought with him toi thorn n blended curiosity nnd embarrassment Thrco days lator ho rollovod tho situa tion by disappearing totally and abso lutely. The places which had known him know him no moro. Ho loft neither good-byos nor any futuro ad dress. So far as his assoclatos knew ho might havo beon swallowed up by somo kindly earthquake. As tho years passed his namo fell less frequently from tho lips of formon frlonSs. There wero occasional rumors that tho. had been seen In different clUcs on the Western frontier, but though. Alklro always ran down tho rumors iho nover found his man. Thero camoiaitlme when only Jim nnd ona other remem bered him with anyi frequency. Long months of waiting hadulragged themselves away and stllL-Bullon was on tho other Bldo of tho TugOla.i The frayed nnd draggled rag thaUBtood for England still hung jauntily above the bcleagued town. Gaunt, hunger and fell disease had joined hands iwlth tho shells of tho besclgcrs to make Ilfo Intolerable to .Uiosoi within tho stricken camp. Tho water supply was foul boyond description and -on-tolc fovor Bwept away? mon, women and children alike. Thero wasMiurs Ing to be dono as well as fighting, nnd tho men that did both iwont about their work quietly and choorfully with tho Anglo-Saxon reUcenco of fooling. They ncvor thought of sup render. It had been appointed, them "to sit tight and. keop tho flag flying," and tho work that had beon sot them thoy would do. Only throoi days bo foro thero had been at grand assault along tho line. Tho fighting had beon hand to hand and desporato. At ono part of the lino tho fortifications hnd been takon thrco tlmos by tho Doers and as many tlmos won back by the Gordon Highlanders. Tho dean and wounded numbered many hundreds boforo tho onomy was finally ropulscd. All thlsJiad been but threo days bo foro, but tho young American war correspondent wandering despondent ly through tho streets could hear tho sound of cay volcos chanting from tho officers' quartors tho well-known ro frain: "Jolly good song, Jolly well sung, Jolly good comrades every one.'.' Ho envied thoso tall gaunt broad shouldered follows tholr light hearts, Many a tlmo ho had seen Uiom In a Hpittlng zono of fire, so confluent!, so oaay, and so recklessly bravo. Thoro was an inspiring .quality in tholr gallantry that lifted tholr mon forward Jn aplto of thomsolvoa when thoy wanted to In tholr alignment back boforo tho scattering1 fragments of a bursting shell. If thoy had much to learn about scouting and gonorol ship, at least malingering was a woid not In tho dictionary for them. With that thought, by contrast, tho young mau's memory took him back again to tho fateful night Uiat had chnngod him from a laughing boy to a man dono with gleo. A soldlor In khaki roused him from his Tovery by stopping In front of him. It was. Simmons tho body servJ ant that had boen assigned him to caro for hla wants. "Ploaso, air," said Simmons, "That ore scouting party undor Lloutonant Hastings la a-roady to leave, sir." t. The American Joined Hastings llt tlo aquad and slipped out with 'them on tho voldt The night was black, though it would bo moonlight later on, and tho half dozon mon ploked tholr way nolslessly across the. open plain. Thoy wero dotallod to find out whether a cortaln emlnonco in tho distance wob yet occupied by tho enemy. Once ono of the men, slum bled against an ant hill, grumbled out a ooraplalnt at "tho bloomn' country" but Hasting called book In a sharp low veice: "Silence In the rankB." The moon camo up and presontly flooded the veldt with light so that tholr advance became necessarjly more alow and cautious oven than be fore. They had reached some rising grouud close to the foothills whon a shot rang out. "Oh. cried the man In front of tho correspondent, put both hands to his head, ami toppled over with a bullet through his brain. There was a seat, taring volley converging toward' them, and Hasting rushed his man to tho top of tho nearest hill. There was' Raasdy." shelter hero of a kind, boulders and scrub brush piled together indiscrim inately, nnd tho young- lieutenant mado the most of It, Occasionally tho sound of a shot reached them from different points below to let thorn know they ftoro surrounded, but except for that they wero unmolested till morning Fiom whoro thoy wore trapped the correspondent could seo fairly woll tho lay of tho land about Lndysmlth. Ho could seo the dust and tho lyddite fumes hanging over varloui points of the Doer lines, and could head tho booming forty-pounders, tho hurrying three-Inch crcusots. and tho "Plff- plff plff" of tho fussy pom-poms. Presontly thero was a snipping nnd popping of rlllo closor nt hnnd. A red haired Tommy turned grinning to his officer. ThcJ American nosjtcojd. tho odd look of shamo-fncod embarrass ment that camo over him, Just ns' If ho had been caught In some boyish prank by a teacher. "Thcy'vo 'It mo, sir." "That's bad, Jones. Is It serious?','. asked Hastings quietly. Moro than I can carry," answered tho man. Then ho laid his rlfto care fully on tho ground, picked at soft plnco among the sharp outcropping rocks and presontly died without any fuss. Tho downy-lipped HouUonnnt ikopt his mon undor covor all day, though. ho exposed hlmsolf without! hesita tion whenovor ho wanted to tlook through his field glasses or to.holp ono of his wounded troopors. In this tin corrospondont seconded him ably. Yet tho two seomod to bear charmed lives, for though boforo sunset all of tho men had beon hit theso two yoro still unwounded. Hastings was- ono of thoso olllcors who bear tholri mqn on their conscience as a personal. charge. Ho felt much drawn toward this- correspondent,- for during, thp pa3t two weeks of tho Inferno Uirough which thoy had all -boon passing ho. had como across him again and agatp caring for Uio woundod iundor flro or nursing tho sick in tho hospitals, and always with a cortaln gontlo dofor- onttnl humility that had Boomed ip him a curious quality to go with such a strikingly handsomo presonco. It was as If a man woro apologizing for his presence ovon when that pros enco was lndlsponsablo. Ho tool; thp groateat pains to ohllterato hlmsolf, nnd If you spoko to him was as shy as a schoolgirl. Hut the thing which had struck Hastings mora than any thing elso was that Dromorton though ho seemed to seek tho most dangorous places by choice, was constitutionally as timid ns a tnbbttt Whenovor ho put his llfo In porll ho did It on-sheor norvo. UnleBs his faco Hod tho man was In torment. A ghastly fear stared out of his livid faco. but ha. ncvor Lhosltatcd to oxposo himself when tho call camo for voluntoors to undortnko a forlorn hope Ho would drlvo him- solC forward relentlessly as a Blavo Is drivon by tho lash, or as a h'fgh spirited liorso is sout quivering past Bomo object In tho roadway that it fears. Ho would go headlong Into jho teoth of dangor with a fluttering hpart ana jangling norves an in proiosi. So It had boon all day. Dromorton was. sweating blood In his agony,. but It was a point of honor betweon him nnd his eonsolence that every man on tho little plateau should bo In such shelter as tho placo afforded boforo ho would seok covor himself. The Doors who had the surroun ded contented Uiomsolvo9swlth pick ing thorn off as they warily oxposod thomselvoe. Tho men wdro trappod without hopo of rosauo, and tho posi tion could not bo rushed, without loss to tho attackors. At Intorvala during tho day, as thoy broiled on tho sun heated gridiron of their hill-top, Uio handful of doomed mon could hoar tho big guns at work on the noiglibor ing holghts as they flung tholr shells towards ludysmlth. Whough-bang! Orrgh-crash! Plff plff! went tho long rango guna and occasionally the big naval guna flung back their eighty-pound shells In de fiant answer. " After dark had falltn LUntonpt Hastings come acioss to Whoro Drem orton lay crouched behind two Jutting boulders. "I say, Bremerton, old man, we'ro In a devil of a holo, you know. To night they'll occupy that hill behind us and then pick ub off to-morrow morning like rats In a corn bin. Won dor If you couldn't slip away In the darkneae. Even' If-they Eet'you9" well, you're no worse off than If you stay here." "I suppose you aro going, to stay?" asked 1 Dremorton. "Me? Ohf I'.vo got to." Ho lowered hla voice. "Smlthcrs and Cunningham aro boUi nllvo yet, you know. 1 But- that dookn't- koep you at all. You're qulto frco to go, nnd good luck to you!" Dremorton sat with hla face turned away Into tho night: Thero waau a long tslloncothon VWhat are you go ing to do In tho morning?" ho asked. "Sit tight," honnswered. Tho silence this tlmo was shortor than boforo. "Think I'll stay too." Hastings lifted a long breath of re lief, but ho felt It ht duty to protost energetically. "Oh, . that's rot, Dromortonl 1 Tho thing that keeps mo doesn't bind you nt all. Our duties aro qulto different, I'm officially bound to sit here and lot tho beggars pot at mo. You'ro officially bound to got back with tho nowo Tor your papor. Toll 'em that Lieutenant Hastings let hlmsolf got ambushed with a scouting party nnd ought to bo court-martialed If enough ofi htm ever gets back for a board to sit on. Pitch It In strong!" Dremorton sot his Jaw. "Noj I'm going to stay," ho Bald definitely. ' Tho .lieutenant's hand .went out Im- pulslvolyt 'l konw there's no uso nr- suing with you. whon youlvo made up your mind. It's. dashed, .good of, you, Dromorton." . "Oh, that's all. right," .returned the American- .Jhen ho felt Impelled to ad J, "I'm ,Btaylng lor a prlvntcroason of ray. own." They- shivered with cold nil night, Just as in day. tlmo, they, had swel tered, with tho heat, Tholr.hungor waalnslatont, and. .before tho sun had boqn up na hour tholr throats iwero llme-kllnv again. , Dior sharpshooters woro lil d dan on tho hill behind thorn and .mado Uiolr. position, untenable A bullot flattened . against tho boulder behind. Hastings. Ha Jumped up and ran. crouching, to another, jocls. Halt way across Uio open hu dropped his rlflo and foil, but. Immediately itrlod to crawl across, jlragglng. a shattered log behind, him. Ho had, to glvo, It- up. "Clean bowlnd . In tho off stump," ha. cnllod across Jo. Dromorton. Tho latter jran across .Uio rifle-swept open toward the, .wounded, man.i Ha was hit twice .before ha xcachcd.hlm, and once again In tho Blda boforo ho had got hlB.burdciuback to tho scant aholtor. "NoL.badly hurt, are. you?," askod tho officer. "Itmlght bo, .worse TIiqjv punc tured my arnu twlco. and fleshed me In tha ribs Haw about you?" 1 Tho young ofllcer touched his chest. "Tho ond of Uio passago," ho an swered feebly, "Tho beggars got mo aa you woro .bringing ma back. I say, Dromorton, this is a beastly holo vWft.'bfacf of Shoes wMl you wea? w Yoc can. v take yotii choice of shoes) yottdo;-itake it every -time "you'fyuy ja4 pat. "J Yatumean, to choose -tii -best sfioesyotr money will, bay. T' Do yo know howj to choose shores? tr Rob.i,bly not. 4 We'll give yot a simple rule t,o go by. . Find the Htname Sel ox it he sole .ask fo it. """Tell you shoemanyowwantSel Royal B!ue,andgeiihebebshoe -made. Regular styles and leaiketB,$3.50 ..Speclaljstyles, $4.00 gmlargosLtnakers of good atioes In the world. (I've led you Intol" Don't worry about that In there anything I can do for you-raaythlng that?" Tho boy office nodded. -"You'll And a letter in my pocketbook. If you got out of horo I wish youwould forward It to th0A,addrcs8i on tho covor." Hastings foil back In exhaustion and shut his oyes. Bremerton promlseuVhuakllyn Just oa one of tho Doora craned hlshoad orer a boulder cropping from tho shoulder of tho hill. Ho carried In hls.hand a flag of truco. Tho 'Englishman opened his eyes for tho last tlmo and caught sight of tho waving, rag. Tho, boyish shoolboy enthusiasm loaned to hla oyes. Dremorton propped him up and ho tried to wavo hla hand. Faintly tho words af.hJZngland'a; jaunty battlo eong foll from his lips, "Itulo Brltnlnla, Britannia . . ." The words, dlod to-a, murmur. He fell back exhausted, Only.oaco more ho spoko. Just boforo he died a happy smllo touched hla white lips. "Toll the colonel wo oajutttlaht old man." Fifteen mlnuton lator, when tha Boors came crooptng Btenlthlly.ito the hilltop they, found nlUo an.sfpunded civilian propped against a. bare face at rock. In I1I3 lap waa ihethoad of a dead ofllcer. How Bremerton rocayered of hla wounds and was a nln.day'boro is another story, and how ho wpnt back to tho woman who had'Uollevod In him and watted for hlmjcannotiio told hero. Ho woqt back h.umblx and thankfully, with" fine-restraint born of tho bitter days ha bad .cudurod la expiation of his sin, and tho woman ho. won thought him thouRrcatos horo bocaiiBO thero was no blaro ofcntrum pcta In hla .manner. Sho know that thero must always, bcmistraln of aad noss running., through his life, and womnn-ltko sho dovodi him moro be causo of thotrwoakncBS the had con quered AtflBUCh cost. i$100 newarb9100 ' Thotreadors of- thJapapor will bo ploased do learn that lhoro la at lo&tt ono -dreaded disease thaUBclonco has boon able to curoln all Its otaga And thablafcatarrhtakU.aU"a 0tarrh Curo la tho ony poaltlvo cure now known to Uio modlcal fatoralty. Ca tarrh being a conatltuUonal dise&ao, roqulros at constitutional! trontment Hall's, Catarrh Cure tie, taken Internal ly, acting directly upon the blood and mucous, surfaces of tho yatam, .there by destroying tho foundaUon of the disease, and giving tho patient strcngUi by buiJJlng up tha consU tutlon and asslstlug-inaturo Inwdolnff Its work. Tho proprietor have so much fnlUi In its . curnUvo powers, that thoy offor ono Hundred Dollars for any caso that it folia to curoSond for list of testimonials j Addrosa. F. J. CHENEY, &, CO., Toledo, 0. Sold by druggists. 7Ca Hall's Family (Pills aro tho boot t r m