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About The morning Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1899-1930 | View Entire Issue (July 8, 1906)
X ACAPTAININ THE FMti: I 11 George Carey Egglevtou 4 SYNOPSIS. ' Capl'sln fliillford JninenV'-'C. A liikci purt In tli lut filit, nt Aij)i iiiiiUnx, mut leave tlifl anny. llu then iluUriuliir to go to Cairo, Ill Although well educated unci a hwver, Captain Duncan I- wit bunt family op money, ami work hi passage to t'eire. Here lie v' ( itptnln iiAUum rnl ton from lire, and Onotaln Halkum a modern f captain of Industry," birr , Captain "construe my 'call, at Mrs. Ilallam sug Duncan,' and oulikly advance In hi .. Mha la too womanly, too sin- fimilomV tiiiit U,n.' .He save, .'. too geuulne,, for that I aba!) tln JlnlUnn' coal fleet from destruction attft. fhouirh. now that hy a ntortn. 11 ml I made a partner hy Captain J lull mi, jiia young Minn w mmm forw of gond anwntf tb yooiti im-n of ttlro, Ilarliam Vrni, a joim, luily. run tha boardinir oua In whir t'aptain. Duncan' taka ltl iiii'nl. Cap In In l)iincn 1 thnnkud by Hnrlmr for vlng .hn from aimoyaw hy oilih'V dim boy, lii-r. II .daterinhire to call upoa CII AFTER XIII. CILFOltD DUNCAN carried out hla purpone, aa be thought, with a good deal of tact He began by calling pot upon llarbara, but tfpon three or fonr oUirr young womo-a thing b bad never done before. He thought la thla way to make hla call upon Bar , lara, when It abould eome, an Incon ipl'iiuou event To bla aurprlae, bla utrance . thue Into aodety ; created ometblng of a flutter uuomj the wo-. men roia, especially we marrina wo men who bad marriageable daogbtera or who were matcbmaklngiy lntmted la other young women not their daugh ter; for Uulirord Duncan, the moment be waa thought of a aoclal factor and matrimonial noaalblllty, waa aeeo to be the "beat catch- In tbe little city, the mott dmtlrable young man in the town. He waa young and dlatlncUy handiome. He waa a man of educa Hon, culture and auperlor Intelligence; Hla manner Were eay, polUhod and very, wlnnmg,' Kapeclaily be trtwUnl .women with a certain chlvalrlc defer nee that pleaaed them even more than they knew. Captain Will Hal h'a wfe, who waa the; aoclal leader , of the city, laid te blm one dayi "Ton muat be careful what yon do in tbe way of paying attention to young women. A very little attention on your part II apt to meaa a great deal to a girl-aod'atlll more to ber mam ma." j . . t .i . "But why Ud Itr Wfed buVto la unfeigned ..tatoatubment "Why bould onlluary eocial courtefy on my part mean mora than the tame, tiling meant In tbe caae of any other young manr. "I don't know that I cn tell you," ahe tnawered. "At leaat I don't know that I can make you uuderataud." , "I alucerely wlah you would try. i cenainiy ao not want to"- ue neal- tated and did not complete tbe sen tence. "Oh,, I know all thai I know what yoo mean, because It la what I mean.- I tell you that If fou cav more thai, Juat & little and a very casual tten- tend this party. I should enjoy It more tlon to any girl, the girl end, worothan nytblng, but"- tti, all her elderly female relative,; k "Will you think me Impertinent" are likely to misconstrue your motive.. Duncan aakod when ahe thus stopped Tou are In aerloua danger of breaking . In the middle of ber .sentence "will ome tender hca.rU and winning for yoo think me Impertinent if I ask you youraelf the reputation' of being that ,'wbat cornea after that word 'butT" moat detestable thlug- male flirt," A : "Ob, I think yoo muetn't ask me "Butreallr. Mre. Hallam." Interrunt-; that At least 1 think I tnuatn't an- cd the perplexed young man, "I don't naderstand. I have not called more than twice upon any one girl, and" "Well, don't Thafa all I've got to ay." , Duncan went away puzzled. He bad Intended to be very shrewd and cir cumspect In thla mutter. He had In- tended by calllrig once or twice upon snrh nt wvnnil vnunir wmnpii tn itfu ! prlve the calls he- Intended to inaMi - uiion. Barbara of any , look of RlguliU cance, and now before he had even begun to cultivate acqtiulntauce with Barbara be found his small prepara tory callings the subject of curiosity nd golp. , ; v ' .. He wus resolved not to be bilked, of bla purpose, however. He saw no rea son to permit that' He would go that very evening to see Barbara, and ho would repeat the visit f roin time to time until a fuller aequalntance with the girl should euro blm of bla fascina tion,. Acqtiulntauce must do that, he wns persuaded,'"'. , ' 'Barbara'' Verne was not ncctistomod to receive visits from young men., Sho was almost too young, for one thing; or at least sue had been almost too young until about this time. , Moreover, her life was imtiHually, secluded, She de voted all her time to her exacting house hold duties. Except that she attended church once each SWiday, she was nev er seen, In any public place or any where cIho otttBlda Of ber auht'a house or the house of her slnglrf friend, Mrs. Blchardft, o retiring matron, who nei ther received company nor went out anywhere. Theije two-the yonng girl and the , middle aged matron were somewhat more than Intimate lh their affection, but apart from this one friend Barbara visited nobody. , The young womon of the town did not think of Her; therefore, as cue of them selves at all, They regarded her rather as a child than aa a young woman, though If they had troubled to think about the matter they would have re membered that she. was as old as some Of themselves, ' Wbtfn Odliforff '. DunVan "mude ti! first call upon Harbara, therefore, thnt jrouny porm wan very jrrentJy, aston ished, but she waa In no ay-tmhar-rad It was ber naturt to meet all circumstances ami all event frankly and to do with conscientious faithful- bo wbstseever sue. conceived to w WVI UISI1 ITMVII WUM,'tU ASM,.,.... called, upon ber alio promptly put away ber surprise and walked Into tbe par lor and greoted Jier vtsjtor not !thou.t some lingering tracY'of nirprluo at tlio honor dona bor, but with no touch of foolldh, embarrassment la bar manner. Barbara 'was limply ber own sweet, natural self, and when Duncaa went way after bis call the glamour of ber personality waa more strongly upon blm thaj. ever. -v':..v V r "Blia. at least" be rttouicbt a be walked toward tbe leveeJTwlll aot mis- j--" "T - I think of It, aba forgot to talc ma to do ao, . Nrfvor mind,; I'll manufacture aomo ejtjnioh, by Jove, 1 bare It! The Cotw-la' la to give a fancy dra dance a wek from tonight ' I'll Invite ber to go, I wonder; if abe will ao retit . I linna an. hnt mvnn it atiM rtivii't ',', invlUUn will give me ample ei- ; cuae for calling, I'll do It tomorrow ! evening. 'When tiuncan called upon Barbara tbe nest evening and aaked bor to at tend tbe dance under bla eacort ber aa toplabment waa manlfeat in' aplte of ber beet endeavor, to conceal It, Bbe had never before been Invited to auob a function, and abe had not dreamed ef thla, That, however, waa not 'ber greataat occaaloo or aurprlae. In ber modeaty ahe bad never thought of ber elf aa In any way the fellow or equal of the other grrla In town, who were mrlf invited to ttend everything In the way of entertainment. If any other young man In town bad aked her to be bla partner on thla occasion be would have regarded tbe occur rence aa a aurpiialng one. To be ask ed by Guilford Duncan waa more aa tonlahlng than all. , She knew the high place be bad won for hJmaelf in Cairo. She knew that be waa everywhere re- gunjej M mother tbe euperior of 11 the other yonng men Intellectually, moratly, aodally and In all other waya. Bbe. regarded him aa an aristocrat among men, a man who bad alwaya beld aloof from the aocloty around htm, It it were quite unworthy of bla attorn Uon. Sbe bad woman' Inatinct enough, too, to know bow greatly, honored any other Tlr) in the city would feel If aaked by him to any function. The fact tftat be bad aaked ber Inatead of ome other ponied ber almoet to be witdermeut At flrat abe gave blm no newer. She waa obvtoualy , thinking, and Duncan let her think on. He thought ahe-looked exceedingly pretty while thinking.' lie obaerved a alight puckering of her forehead at the time, which eeemed to him to add intereat to ber face. After a little ahoaald '"Thank you, Mr: Duncan, for your Invitation. I am more ptoaaed with It than 1 can aay. But I think I muat aak you to excuse me. I think can't poa albly go to the dance.? . f , "May I aak why not! Do you not care for dancing and McIetyT "Ob, I care very much, pr, rather," he added with ecrupulous fidelity to truth, "I abould care very much to at weryoo.", . "Very well," replied tbe young man, pleased with the gtrl'e manner In iptte of bla disappointment over ber hesita tion. "May I make suggestion? . If you bad simply said 'no' to my Invita tion, of course I should not think of urging It upon you. But what you hve abowe me that you would Welcome It lf,there W6W not SO 1116- Wnt In toe wajr. Perhaps you can vercomo the difficulty. Wilt you not try? Will you not take a little time to think and perhaps to consult with your friends?" ,,,,,', . t "I should like to, but that would be , unfair to you, It might deprive you of an opportunity to ask some ouo else." "1 shall ask no one else. I shall not attend the v affair -at - all unless I am privileged to escort you. If I may I will call tomorrow eveulug nnd every evening until you can give me your de cision." , . ; t .'There was a certain mnsterfulnces . In hla mauuer uud , utterance which ; seemed to leave uo cjmnco for further . discussion. So Barbara simply Bald: "Very well. I'll bo ready to answer 'you tomorrow, evening. , I suppose I am ready now, but you wish me to wait, and It shall, be so." ' . Duncan hurriedly took bis loave. Ter haps he feared that If he, stayed longer Al . H.,M.l w1.a 1. (1.. . ,, j uia gin uiirui iuuho ui-r uu u.uuui one. uuierwise uu uopea lor a Doner outcome. ;. , ' : . , 1:''", : When he had fjone poor little Bab sat for a time In bewilderment She still could not understand why such a man as Guilford Duncan, .whom everybody regarded ad the "coming man" In Cai ro, should have chosen Tier Instead of some other as the recipient of his Invi tation,, She could not still a certain fluttering about her heart. Sine was ifull of Joy, and yet she was sorely grieved that she must pnt aside what seemed to her; a' supreme' opportunity to be happy for a time. V ' ! ' It was alwaya her, way when any emotion pleased or troubled her to go to ber f rb)ii4. Mrs. Richards. ' for irength end eootfJItig. , iio now ane suddenly sprang up, put on ber hat and wraps and hurried to her one friend' borne. The dUtmwe waa so small that ahe needed bo emrort, particularly aa Ilolwrt who buppeiMKl to be at tle gate, could see her throughout tbe little Journey, And be kntfw that tbe faith ftU lieiro Iy would wait there untij ber return. , " ZS1'"' "You are All In fiurty, child." aald ber friend for ifrevtlug. 4"'bat la It ajotJ JDe yju. .'conje to me for' ad vice, or iympailiyoVcoiMatlon?'' ; i Vot lit. lUchard knew of Duncan'! Vlait t)d with a shrewd woman's wlf ahe guesiwd that Darlmr' dUturbnuce of mind we in .soma way Connected will that event ? u s ' "NO," answered th" girt , fl didn't come to consult yon, at least I think' I didn't It la only that something bal happened, and I want to tell you about it" f. ' . , ', "Very wejl, dr. Co on." "Oil, Ifi nothing very Importaut Only th?t Mr; Gqllford Duncan baa asked me to go with blm to the party next week.".'' v.'y: -'" i ; :' "."': : "Well, go on! I see nothing strange la that" wf, ': "Why, .'don't you'ondemtand? It la Mr. Duncan, and be'lm asked me." ' "I see, nothing yet to wonder 'at, calmly roplhsd ber friend' "Indeed, it see in to be quite tiatoral. I have un-i doratooj Mr, Docato io be ft gentle man of fmeommonly good taste.- If be baa made u bla nilad to attend the dance,. wily nhotildn't be dioose for bla partner tli Wt, the derct, .the moat charming girl In the city Of course yon are gofiigr ; "Wbyno.l Of course I can't I told him so, but be urged me to postpone a 9m "WtU, go on. t $ee nothing strange tn thai." final decision till tomorrow evening. I thought that would be useless'and that the delay might make blm, mlas a chance to engage some other girl, but be insisted that be wasn't going t all unless I would go with him; so J oat because be teemed to wtah It 1 prom laed to wait till tomorrow evening be fore laying final 'no.' Somehow you Imply bare to do what Mr. Duncan wants you to do, you know."-" "Mr. Guilford Duncan Is rising ran Idly In my estimation," answered Bar bara'a friend. "I have understood that he is a man of good sense and good taste. Obviously be deserves that high repute. Your 'no' must be 'yes,' Bab.!, "Oh, but that's Impossible!" "I don't see It" "Why, you know I can't afford a gown," " ''. "I still don't see It It's to be a fan cy dress affair,! believer , "Yea,of Crturse."' - " ' V- "Then you can go in any character you like. You've your drab gray dress, and It's as fresh as new. I'll go over to your, boustf and alter It tor you. Then, with white cape of bishop's lawn and a white cap and apron, we'll make you into the most charming little Quaker maiden imaginable. Tbs char acter will Just ault you because you nit it That 'matter la-settled. Go home now and go to bed, and you muetn't dream of anything bnt yes.' " 80 tbe, eood woman fended off thanks and sent the happy girl borne with an enhanced sense of the, value of friendship. :-' ..'' , . CHAPTER XIV. r IT was about this tune that Gull ford Duncan managed to make a new enemy and one more power ful to werk him harm upon occa alon than all the rest whom be bad of fended. .' k '. .... '.; Napoleon "Tandy, president of the X National bank, whose name had been first popularly shortened td "Nap" Tan dy and afterward extended again iuto "Napper", Tandy, was Jhe only maa In Cairo who had enough of financial strength or of creative business capnc ity to be reckoned a rival of Captain Will Hallam or hla competitor in com mercial enterprises. -i :v- ' - Ue bad several times tried conchi; slons with Ilallitm in such affairs, but always with results distinctly Unsutls-' factory to himself, or, as Hallam. one day explained to, Duncan, "He has got a good deal of education at my hands, and he has paid his. tiilttpn fee8.' ' Tandy was not yet past middle age, but he was, always called ''Old .Nap per Tandy,'! culetly because- of certain ob)ectlonoble traits of character that he possessed,' Ho 'was reputed ;'to be the "meanest man In southern Illinois." He, was certainty tho hardest ,4u' driv ing a bargnlu, the most mon-Hoss In its- enforcement. He .,yu.i .-.cordially hated and very greatly feared. Cold, self possessed, shrewd, nud Y.ttei'ly sblllsh, his attitude toward, his fellow men and toward himself wnrt nltogJhor dif ferent from that of ills greater compet itor, Hallam, He f61t ilsue, Of, IIl Inm'g ''sporting taterostVas D;rhcan called it, n. playing' the gnmp ,of cjip-merce.BiKi-fliwlice, "He-was quick to see opportunities' nnd eou'iewhatJ-boM, In 'selzlnlt upoii tliouC tut 14 tboyifln of popular or public benollt to uccruo fronj hl .enterprises. ever fouud- loju- meiit la bis mind. He bad put a large sum of money into the through line ef freight cars, but be bad done so With an eye single Jo his own ad vantage, with no thought pf .anything but dividends. He had contemptuous ly called Duncan "a rainbow chaser! because that young mad bad. spoken with some enthusiasm of YJbe beuefltfl which the cbeupenlng e( freight rates must bring to tbe people east and west In brief, Napper Tandy was a very greedy money getter and nothing else. He bated Hallam with all that be bad Of heart becauso Hallam was bl su? perlor In tbe conduct of affairs, and be cause ilalinm bad so badly beaten blm In eVery cue of competitive' effort and perhaps because of some other things. On bis part Will Hallam, without bating, cordially , detested the man whom he bad thus, beaten , and made frald.- v, V' '"v'.r"v '. , Nevertheless these1 two never quar reled. Each of tbem was, too worldly wise to make an open breach with one whose cooperation in great affair he might at any time need. On tbe night of tbe ball Hallam took Duncan aside and said to him; i , I , wish you'd take the - 7 o'clock train in the morning and go up to the mines for a few day. Everything there seems to he at sixes and sevens. I can't make bead or tall out of It all. All I know is that the confounded mine Is losing a good many thousands of my dollars every month. I want you to go op and make a thorough in vestigation. If you can't find a way out I'll shut up the bole In the ground endault". ' ... ' ';,.'.,.',,:. .':.., Captain . Hallam knew, of course, that Duncsn could not get mocb sleep that nlffbt but be bad long ago learned that Guilford Duncan utterly disre garded personal comfort . whenever duty called, and sq be bad no hesita tion In thus ordering bis young lieuten ant to take an early morning train on the heels of a night of dancing. . ."Perhaps you'd better go up there with me," suggested Duncan. ' ,"N'o. That would embarrass mat ters. I've been up several times, and I want you to bring a fresh mind to bear Uon the trouble. I'll telegraph the people there to put everything at your command. I want you to study the situation and make up your mind. Just as If the whole thing belonged to you. Part 0 It does, you know, and more of It aball It you find a way out If .the thing can be made to go I'll give you ten more of the hundred shares tn addition to the five you al ready own. Good night and goodby tUl you're ready to report" Captain Will Hallam had recently bought thla coal mine on 4 little branch railroad in the Interior of Illinois. He bad not wanted to buy it but had done 0 by way of saving a debt The mine had been badly constructed at the be ginning, and bitterly it had been a good deal neglected. There were other diffi culties, as Duncan soon discovered, and tbe coal resources of the property had never been half developed. In recognition of bis services ha examin ing titles snd other matters connected with the purchase Hallam had given the young man S per cent of the com pany's stock. , He was thus for the first time working In part for himself when be waa sent to study the situa tion. : ; v:.."i v. Quietly, but Insistently, In face of the surly opposition of the superintendent who waa also sty led. chief engineer, Duncan looked Into things. It . was true, aa the superintendent sullenly aid, that this young man knew noth ing of coal mining. But It was also true, as Duncan answered, that be knew bow to learn. . And he did learn. He learned so mocb that after three or four days he ent a telegram to Captain Will Hal lam, saying: '', ? ;'. . , Olv m a perfectly free hand here er cadi me home, t must have all the au thority you posseaa or I can be of no use. Answer by telegraph. for response Hallam telegraphed: . Conilder yourself the whole thlnf. , X live you complete and absolute authority. Hire or discharge men af wUI. Order all Improvements you think beet Draw on the bank here for any sum you need. Only make the thing go if you pan. Thus armed Duncan set to work In earnest . , , ' ' "Why Isn't your output of coal larger than It Is?" he asked of Davidson, the superintendent: !: ,' "l "I can't make It larger under the' cir cumstances." ;.. , ; V' , "What are the circumstances? What auuuuiutm iuw .mere in tne way? xou have miners enough surely.',' "Well, for one thing the mine Is bad ly ventilated. Many of the best gal leries are tilled with choke damp and must be kept closed." ' s- "Why don't you Improve the ventlla tlon? As an, engineer you ought to know bow to do that much," , ' , "It isn't feasible, as you would know, Mr, Duncan, if you knew any thing about mining." i , "Oh, never mind my Ignorance!, It Is your knowledge that I'm concerned about Just now, , Do I understand you to say that a mine lying only seventy five feet or so below the surface can net be ventilated?" "I suppose It might be If the busl. nesa could afford tbe expense." ."The business can and will afford any expense that may be necessary to make it pay. If you know enough of engineering to devise a practicable plan for ventilating the mine I'll fur nish you all the money-you need to aarry It out." ' He had It in mind to add, "If you don't know enough for that. I'll find a more competent engineer," but he kept bla temper ftnd refrained. ' ' " 'Twouldn't be of any use," answer ed Davidson, after. a.5nprapnt "We'r (Continued on page 7) FINE NEW THEATRE Some of th Excellent Points of It's Construction, R. E. ELVERS THE NEW LESSEE Men.. Fisher Brother Will Improve Largely on the Old Opera House , More Seating Capacity Big ,ger Stage Safety Devices, Tomorrow Contractor C. 0. Palmberg will' commence the dismantling of the fire-wreck of Fisher' opera house, prepr aratory to the building of tbe new house of entertainment ' upon the tame site. Thi mark an important era in Astoria' development, a the new houe will cost, when completed and equipped in the neighborhood of $14,000; B. E, Elvers, of Halt take City, will be tiperintendent of construction and in an experienced man In'alTairs theatrkaL ' llr., Elver yeterday, as -a primal move, coniulted with Fire Chief Foster, - v EFtc-i Diagram showing seating arrangement the same as being within the munciipal requirements; but he could not reach all members of the city committee on fire and waten and this phase of the situation will be attended to at the next session of the common council. The plant and specifications recently adopted by the Messrs. Fisher, show the following condition' in and about the pew structure: . ; ' : ' There will be six exits from the gal lery floor of the , house, embracing 10 feet of open stairway, .The ground floor exits will cover 24J feet of width-; epace; the main doorway being 10 feet on the plan and specifications of the new building and that officer approved 7 Em EEE 'j PHI .MM 'If I 1 I M M M ' 1 1 I l I I I M . I 1 rrrrri . rTrrr-1 . 1 . 1 M . I l'l'l'JIM'l'II3 MMM.M.TTm .M,M,i4.TTI IM ! MMMM'13 I'l'IM'liirTrm rTnrpI Ml I I " UIMMMMM.PI I.IM .l.urrm-n . 1 , 1, 1 ,. 1, 1. 1 1 71 ti.ii.iti,i4i.ui.iir llf l-IM'l'lIM-IMM M'-I,MM-M'I:I-IU .I rsur.i.jti.itii. 1.1,1 MMMM'l'l UI..I..MIMM.I.IM MI.I.Uf.l, y l-l'l I' I UUI-. I. , -. .. 1 tT1 tjifi1 ground-plan, they, will be, practi- wide, and one of four.faet ix : inches, All aisle spaces will, be three feet in width, trf the gallery there will be four aisle clear 'across the house; aid on cally, in the old house. .Tbe. house j to be equipped, with a aandaomMy, appointed , rereption room for ladies, and a competent woman will be planed in charge of it to asuiat pttruna and look after their ' wraps, etc.; and beides this, there will be a smoking rom f of gentlemen. There will' be two separate, dUtinct box-offices, for the ale of gallery tickets and for the accommodation of tha ground-floor patrons, thus avoiding all confusion and obviating much delay in despatching big crowd. , ' Thejtage opening will be 30 feet wide by 24, feet in neight'the-'-stage being 30 feet In dt-pth. Thete dimension will permit the eetting of drop-scene 24 by 42 feet In size and aid materially in the presentation pf tfie finest plays requir ing tbe ue of extensive scenery. The oechextra pit will be large enough to comfortably Vat an orchestra of seven people and all instruments. The electrical service is to be very complete, and : involves . a tone-et of light of red and blue and white, to lend efficacy to certain scenes on tbe stage; the whole system comprehending nearly 900 light throughout, ; The house will contain exactly. 848 eats, and each teat i to be 20 Inches wide, which entures plenty of comfort for each individual patron. When the eats are closed there will be 30 inches of row-space, or passage way. in front of .each seat . Every modern appliance will be em ployed for the prevention of fire, stand- STAGE t-;,.:i rmr GT3' GE233', Oar4ir4 nnnm ' urnzj .1.1.1.1 .rgC3 rrrrm of lower floor of the new opera, house. pipes, hose-reels, electric alarms of the latest and best patterns; and the venti lation of the building will to adapted to the control and absorption of fire along the stage, to as to keep the auditorium free from smoke and flames. Nothing will be left undone to make.it one of the prettiest safest and "most comfortable houses of the kind on the coast; and when it is thrown open to the Astoria, public on or about the first of October next it will be a monument to the gen erous enterprise of Its owners and pro jectors, Messrs, A, C. and F. A. Fisher of this city. , ' , , ' ' , 'The initial performance at the new opera house . will ,in all likelihood, be x 5m-- i.i.M.i.i-i-M M-M-IMM-IM-I-I-I-I I lM,l.i,M,i.l.i .l tM .II'M I' l.l-UM- 1, 1. 1 j l.j.M-I.M-' U-MrHl.Jj one of the popular comics operas' that are so well appreciated on the coast circuit, the northwestern circuit managers hav ing promised to bill One here at that time if it shall be available. - 5