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About The morning Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1899-1930 | View Entire Issue (April 23, 1905)
THE MORNING AS TOR IAN, ASTOKIA, OREGOA, SUNDAY, APRIL 23, 1005. . L fTf tftrttt VTT TTt T ttVTT VTf tTTTYT TT TTTTTTTT t TVTV T " TT I t?he Gentleman ill it Wnm Tnfffa.no. Ut Hy Booth TAntutcrosr tt J;; til Cwxi r 31 MeCUf C. IS!! X CtrriiiH. 1903, IChr. THttip Zk Cv Tj; filaiiisffisffinffi "lTjcjrcn "TbetoseTvM t!iiiw replied Briscoe. "Usually White Cars are a Tlgilanc committee la a region where the law isn't enforced. These fellows aren't that kind. They got together to wipe out grudges, and sometimes didn't seed any grudge just made their raids for pure devilment. There's a feud be- j tween us and them that goes back Into pioneer days, and only a few of ua old1 folks know much about It." "And he was the first to try to stop themr "Well, you see, our folks are pretty long suffering." said Briscoe apologet ically. "We'd sort of got used to th meanness of the Crossroads. It took a stranger to stir things up, and he ' did. He sent eight of them to the peril t tentiary, some for twenty years," As they passed the saloon a man stepped into the doorway ami looked at them. He was coat less and clad In garments worn to the color of dust. His bare head was curiously raalform- ed, higher on one side than on the oth-. er, and though the buckboard passed j "Humor of the Day." rapidly and at a distance this singular! When the Briscoe buckboard had left Jopsldedness was plaluly visible to the' the Crossroads far behind and had occupants, lending an ugly significance come In sight of Hattvillo Mr. Bris tol hia meager, yellow face. He was coe's visitor turned to Flsbee with a tall, lean, hard, powerfully built He eyed the strangers with affected lan guor and then, when they had gone by. broke Into sudden loud laughter. "That was Bob Skillett, the worst of the lot," said the Judge. "Harkless sent his son and one brother to prison, and It nearly broke his heart that be couldn't swear to Bob." When they were beyond the village and iu the open road again Miss Sher- ' wood took a deep breath. "I think I breathe more freely. That waa a hid eous laugh he sent after us." The Judge glanced at his guest's face i and chuckled. "I guess we won't frighten you much," he said. "Young ; lady, I don't believe you'd be afraid of . many things, would you? You don't look like it. Besides, the Crossroads isn't Plattville, and the White Caps; have been too Scared to do anything i much except try to get even with the Herald for the last two years ever since It went for them. They're lay ing for Harkless partly for revenge and partly )ecause they daren't do any thing until he s out Of the way." ' The girl gave a low cry, with a sharp I Intake of breath. "Ah, one grows tired of this everlasting American patience why don't the Flattvtlle people do something before they" ' "It's Just as I say," Briscoe answer ed. "Our folks are sort of used to them. I expect we do about ail we can. The boys look after him nights, ' but the main trouble is that we can't make him understand he ought to be more afraid of them. If he'd lived here all his life he would be. If they get Mm there'll be trouble of an illegal na ture." He broke off suddenly and nod ded to a little old man in a buck board turning off from the road into a farm lane which led up to a trim cot tage with a honeysuckle vine by the door. 'That's Mrs. Wimby's husband," said the judge in an undertone. Miss Sherwood observed that Mrs. Wimby's husband was remarkable for the exceeding plalntiveness of his ex pression. He was a weazened, blank, pale eyed little man, with a thin white mist of neck whisker, and he was dressed in clothes much too large for him. No more inoffensive figure than this feeble little old man could be im agined, yet his was the distinction of having received a hostile visit from his neighbors of the Crossroads. A vaga bonding tinker, he had murred the one respectable person of the section, a widow, who had refused several gen tlemen at tie Crossroads, and so com plete was he bridegroom's insignifi cance that to all the world his own name was lost. The bride continued to be known by her former name as "Mrs. Wimby," and her spouse was usually called "Widder Woman Wimby's hus band" or "Mr. Wimby." The bride sup plied his wardrobe with the garment of her former tusband, and, alleging this proceeding as the cause of their anger, the White Caps broke into the farmhouse one night, tore the old man from bis bed and before his wife's eyes lashed him with sapling shoots till he was near to death. A little yellow cur that bad followed his master on his wanderings was found licking the old man's wounds, and they -deluged the dog with kerosene and then threw the poor animal upon a bonfire they bad made and danced around in heartiest enjoyment The man recovered, but that was no palliation of the offense to the mind of a hot eyed young man from the east who was besieging the county authori ties for redress and writing brimstone , and saltpeter for bis paper. The pow ers of tie county proving either lack adaisical or timorous, he appealed to those of the state, and he went every night to sleep at a farmhouse the own er of which had received a warning from the White Caps, and one night It befell that be was rewarded, for the raiders attempted an entrance. He and the farmer and the farmer's sons beat off the marauders and did a satisfacto ry amount of damage In return. Two efe White C&pa tbc4fiturejLflnd bor.iid, and others tfiiey recognlaed. Then the state authorities hearkened to the voice f the Herald and Its owner. There were arrests, and In the course of time there was a trial Every pris oner proved an alibl-wuld have proved a doaen but the editor of the Herald, after virtually conducting the prosecu tion, went upon the stand and wor to man after man. Eight men went to the penttentlary on his evidence, five of them for twenty years. The Flatt vllle brass band serenaded the editor of the Herald again. There were no more raids, and the Six Crossroads men who were left kept to their hovels, appalled and shaken, but as time went by and left them un molested they recovered a measure of their hardiness and began to think on what they should da to the man who had brought misfortune and terror up on them. For a long time he had been publishing their threatening letters and warnings in a column which he beaded repetition of the shiver that the laugh ter of Mr. Skillett bad caused bcr and said half under her breath, "I wish I half wish that we had not driven through there." She clasped Mr. Fta bee's hand gently. His eyes shone. He touched her fingers with a strange, thy reverence. "You will meet him tomorrow," be said softly. She laughed and pressed his hand. "I'm afraid not I was almost at his side last night when Minnie asked him to call on me. He wasn't even inter ested enough to look at me." Something over two hours later, as Mr. Tom Martin was putting things to rights In bis domain, the Dry Goods Emporium, previous to his departure for the evening's gossip and checkers at the "drug store, be stumbled over something soft lying on the floor be hind a counter. The thing rose and would have evaded him, but he put out his hands and pinioned It and dragged it to the show window, where the light of the fading day defined his capture. The capture shrieked and squirmed and fought earnestly. Grasped by the shoulder, be held a lean, fierce eyed, undersized girl of fourteen clad in one ragged cotton garment, unless the coat of dust she wore over all might be es teemed another. Her cheeks were sal low, and her brow was already shrewd ly lined, and her eyes were as hypo critical as they were savage. She was very thin and little, but old Tom's brown face grew a shade nearer white when the light fell upon ber. "You're no Plattvllle girl," he said sharply. "You Her cried the child. "You He! I am! You leave me go, will you? I'm lookln' fer pap, and you're a liar."' "You crawled In here to sleep after your seven mile walk, didn't you?" Martin went on. -"You're a liar!" she screamed. "Look here," said Martin slowly. "you go back to Six Crossroads and tell your folks that if anything happens to a hair of Mr. Harkless' bead every shanty In your town will burn, and your grandfather,. and your lather, and 'Tit git pap to UU ie" your uncres, and your Brothers,-arid your cousins, and your second cousins, and your third cousins will never have the good luck to see the penitentiary. Reckon you ran remember that mes sage? But before I let you go to carry it I guess you might as well band out the paper they sent you over hers with." His prisoner fell into a paroxysm of rage. "I'll git pap to kill ye!" she shrieked, striking at him. "I don't know nothln' "bout yer Six Crossroads, ner no .pa pers, ner yer Mr. Harkel neither, ner you, ye razorbacked ole devil. Pap '11 kill ye! Leave me got Leave m go! Tap '11 kill ye! I'll git him to kjll jeP,. Suddenly berwtruggle ceas- T .--J eOTEfr eye closeT, UVeiwiTtrtli mus cles relaxed,- mid she (Invited towavd the floor. The old man Hhlftcd Ms grip to supiwrt her, and in an Instant she twisted out of his hands and sprang out of reach, her eyes shining with tri umph and venom. . "Yahay, Mr. Kaaorback!" ah shrill ed. "How's that fer high? Tap "II kill ye Sunday! Ye'll be creechin' In hell in a week, an' ws 'ull set up an' drink our applejack an laff!" Martin pursued ber lutuberlngly, but she was agile as a nioukcy and ran dodging up and down the counters and mocked him, singing, "Gran'uiauimy, Tipsy Toe." At last she tired of the game and darted out of the door, fling ing back a boars laugh at htm as sh went Ho followed, but when h reach ed the street she was a mere shadow flitting under the courthouse tree. II looked after her forebodingly, then turned bis eyes toward th Palace ho tel on the corner. The editor of.Ui Herald was seated under the wooden awning, with bis chatr tilted back agatnst a post, gating dreamily at th murky red afterglow In the west. "What's the use of trytn' to bother him with itr old Tom asked himself. "He'd only laugh." Us noted that young William Todd, tbo drug, book and wall paper clerk, sat near the ed itor, whittling .absently. Martin chuc kled. "William's turn tonight." b murmured.' "Well, the boys 'II take care of hitu." He locked tbo doors of the Emporium, tried them and dropped the keys in his pocket As he crossed tbo square to the drua store, where his cronies awaited him. be turned ag!a to look at the figure of the musing Journalist "He ought to go out there," be said aud shook his head sadly. "I dtm't reckon Hattvtlle's any too spry for that young man. Flve years he's be'n here. Well, it's a good thing for us. but I guess It ain't exact ly high life for him." He kicked a stick out of bis way Impatiently. "Now, where'd that Imp run tor be grum bled. Th imp was lying under the court- bouse steps. When the sound of Mar tin's footsteps had passed away sb crept cautiously from ber hiding place and stole through the ungroomed grass to the fence opposite the hotel. Here lie stretched herself flat in the weeds aud took from the tangled masses of her hair, where it was tied with a string, a rolled up, crumpled slip of greasy paper. Ith this in her fingers she lay peering under the fence, her fierce eyes fixed unwinklngly on the editor of the ll.'rald. The street ran flat and gray In the slowly gathering dusk straight to the weshru horizon, where the sunset em-1 bers were strewn Iu long, glowing, dark reu streans. xtie mapio trees wererl,,0", clean cut silhouettes against the palo rose aud pearl tints of the sky above, and a tenderness seemed to shimmer In the air. The editor often vowed to him self he would watch no mors sunsets In Plattvllle. He thought they were making him morbid. Could be have shared them it would have been dif ferent His long, melancholy face grew lon ger and more melancholy in the twi light, wlille William Todd patiently whittled near by. Plattvllle had often discussed the editor's habit of silence, nd possibly the reason Mr. Harkless was such a quiet man was that tbers was nobody for him to talk to; but bis bearers did not iiaree. for the popula tion of Carlow county was a thing of pride, brim; greater than that of sev eral bordering counties. A bent fisure "i!ii nl-iwly down the street and William Todd hailed it cheerfully. n vi-iin;,'. Mr. I'lstiee." "A good evening, Mr. Todd," an swered the old man, pan-ting. "Ah,-Mr. Harklc.MH. I wan looking for you." II bad not seemed to be looking for any thing beyond the boundaries of his own dreams, but he approached Harkless, tugging nervously at Home papers In bis pocket. "I have completed my notes for our Saturday edition, it was quite i easy, sir. There Ik much doing." TliMnU vmi fr I.M)i,. " villi Ifnrlr. less n ho took the n.amiaerint. -Have you finished your paper on the earlier i Christian syinlKIiism? I hope the Her aid may have the honor of printing if This was a form they used. "I shall be the recipient of honor, sir," returned Flsbee. "Your kind otfer will speed my work; but I fear, Mr. Harkless, I very much fear, that your kindness alone prompts it, for, deeply as I desire It, I cannot truthfully say that my essays appear to Increase our circulation." He made an odd, trou bled gesture as he went on: 'They do not seem to read them here, although Mr. Martin asaures me that be care fully reperuses my article on Chaldean decoration whenever ho rearranges bis exhibition windows." He plodded on a few paces, then turned irresolutely. "What Is it Flabee?" asked Harkless. FlHbee stood for a moment as though about to spifek; then he smiled faintly, shook bis bead and went his way. Harkless waved his band to him in farewell and, drawing a pencil and a pad from bis pocket proceeded to In jure his eyes In the waning twilight by the editorial perusal of the items bis staff had just left In his bands. He glanced over tbera meditatively, mak ing alterations here and there. The last one Flsbee had written a follows: 7 Mtu Bhfrwood of Rouen, whom MIm B rise os knew st the Mlase Jennings' fln- Uhlng school In New York, Is a gut of Judge Briscoe's household. Flsbee's Items were written in ink. There was a blank space beneath the last At the bottom of the page some- thug bad been scribbled In pencil. Harkless vainly tried to decipher it; but the twilight had fallen too deep, and the writing wss too faint, so he struck aaichjid ljeM.it close to. the jtaper. The action betokened ou'y it 'UiitfUld intercut' lUit When lie ciiiU'l .sijrht of the first if m fmir fu!mc;ll- ed lines he st up straight In hi ehnlr, with a sharp ejaculation. At the bot tom of Flsbee' page was written lit a dainty feminine Itnml of a type he had not seen for years: "The time hna come." the wnlnis said, "To talk ( innny titles Of kIiops ami ililp and waa And Cftbbsgva Mitd Kittys." He put the paper In his pocket and set off rapidly down the village street At his departure William Todd looked up quickly. Then he got upon hi feet, with a yawn, and quietly followed the editor. In the dunk a tattered little figure rose tip from the weeds aero the way aud stole noiselessly after Wllltum. lie was In his shirt sleeves, his waistcoat unbuttoned and loose. Oil the nearest corner Mr. Todd encounter ed a fellow townsman who had Iteeti pacing up and dowu In front of a cot tage crooning to a protective baby held lu his aim. He had paused iu hi vigil to stare after Harkless, "Where's be bound fer. William?',' Inquired the tiinn with the baby. "ltrlmws'," answered Wllllatn, pur suing Ills way. . "I reckoned be would be." observed the other, ttirilug to hjs wife, who nut on the doorstep.. "I reckoned so when I se that lady at the lecture last night" The woman rose to ber feet "HI, Bill Todd!" he said. "What ye got on to the back of yer vet?" William paused, put his hand behind him niul oneountenM a paper pinned to the dan gling strap of his waistcoat The worn ail rati to hint ami unpinned the paper. It bore a writing. Tiny took It to where the yellow lamplight shone out through th open door aud read: (Continued Nxt Sundjy.) Chested Death. KUney troubl often end fatally, but by choosing th right mtdicln, E. II. Wolfe, of Bear Drove, lows, chanted death. H says: "Two years ago I bad Kidney Trouble, which caused m great pain, suffering and anxiety, but I took Electric Bitters, which effected a complete cur. I Have also found them of great benefit In general de bility and nerve trouble, and keep them constantly on hand, since, as a find they hav no equal." 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