Tie OREGON STATESMAN, Sakza. Oregon, Tbnrday Ilonda JsrrrrjCl , 1837
' 1 -
-. '-ft
"No Favor Sways U; No Fear Shall AtctT
From first Statesman. March ?S. 181 ! !
CHARLES A. Spragub I - - Editor and Publisher
THE STATESMAN PUBLISHING CO.
Charles A, Sprague. Pre. - - - Sheldon F. Sackett. Secy.
Ilember of rite Associated Press II.
Tt Associated Prraa la axdualirHy entitled to tbe uaa for publH-a-tloe
mt all aewa diapalrttra credit to It or not otherwise credited la
tltlS PSBf-l. . j - . . 1
"v -r Judicial Procedure j
Tl fTANY are the criticisms that
171 can courts. Justice is regarded often as both blind arid
spavined. Delays, technicalities, musty precedents are
said to be used to interfere with the processes of justice. For
some of this criticism there is
and bar are alert to need for reform; and progressive attor
neys are continuously at work
which .will reduce the expense
of Justice in the end and the time-consuming delays.
An Oregon committee headed by Justice George Ross
man of the supreme court has during the past biennium con
tinued work nreviouslv begun looking to reforms in judicial
procedure. These reforms are none of them radical ; many of
' them are minor in character. On the whole they! should result
in improvement and reduction
eases. Perhaps the most important proposal is one permitting:
the trial judge to comment on
case as well as to advise jurors
his long experience in the trial of cases the judge is in posi
tion to offer helpful comment so jurors may more readily an
alyze the evidence and arrive at a just verdictJ This right is
now enjoyed by judges in our federal courts and in the courts
xf England and Canada which bear a high reputation for the
administration of justice. , M
As a method of avoiding
committee recommends change
ney to file information against
ing, against whom lies probable
save the wait for a grand jury session. t
Few are the prosecutions for perjury although false
swearing is a frequent occurrence on the witness stand. The
reason is that not only must the falsehood be proved but the
fact that it was material in the case. A lesser penaltjr is rec
ommended for perjury in the second degree where a person is
found guilty of false swearing. This, it is hoped, will do away
with some perj fired testimony. Another reform proposed is to
equalize the number of challenges permitted each si'de in
criminal cases: to require an accused who plans: to plead in
sanity to give notice of his intention instead of springing it
at the last moment. i J !
In addition the committee recommends changes in court
rules such as the machinery of appeals ; permitting an adver
sary to impeach a witness he has called if he! questions bis
credibility, etc. I M
One proposal of importance and merit is to have circuit
judges report to a central office the sentence dispositions
lu " i,f l r,s
mcjr ujns m uiuuum " r""s "77
disparity in sentences now observed. In addition there OUght 1
a i a j , r 1.4... I
to be a central bureau containing records of persons guilty
of offenses even if thev are not
a i , i i - i i i i
CSXaousnea, WIUCIl Iiaiurauy
good cause. Where the chance
ever then the change should be
of the Rossman committee are made after considerable study
and in general conform to the recommendations made by bar
associations and federal authorities. The legislature should
give the bills involving the
aref ul and favorable consideration.
Bonneville Delay-
mHERE is no delay in thirprogress of construction of the
I dam at Bonneville, but there
In fnrminiy tri rnlirv trt crnvprn thp kaIa of it si nower. So I
slowly has the political end moved the dam may be completed
with no transmission lines ready to carry the energy to con
sumers. Last session of congress bills were introduced and
revised to meet certain criticisms, but no action was obtained
before congress adjourned.! It was anticipated that early ac
tion would be secured at this session; and Sen. McNary re
introduced his bill giving the federal power commission rate-
making authority.
Now the whole subject is
f fnrmulatAd. Pres. Roosevelt
t I
velop such a policy. This task will take some time. Whether I
it will be drafted and adopted in time to serve Bonenville
when the building job there is completed cannot be foretold.
The bone of controversy which will be fought over is the
relation between public ownership and private utility opera
tion. This centers now m TVA wnere the division reaches
right into the governing board.
Chairman Arthur Morgan
ation with existing private faculties. Member David Lmen
thal favors public ownership without regard to the invest
ment of private companies. Pres. Roosevelt has made no pub
lic expression of choice in the matter; instead has passed the
whole problem on to this new committee which! will consider
not only TVA but Bonneville, Grand Coulee, Fort Peck, and
other great hydro plants being
Clearly the government
Either it should effect a compromise with the private con
cerns with the government holding a short snub rope in the
way of rate control; or else it should frankly take over the
utility companies at reasonable
ernment cannot in fairness destroy through ruthless compe
tition the investment of large numbers of its citizens made in
good faith in a utility which has long served the public.
j Capitol
OREGON'S state capitol win enjoy a real distinction in be
ing one of the few state capitols whose conception, : de
sign, construction and beautification will j be homogen
eous and will be complete with the building's erection. In pre
paring: their preliminary plans the architects Trowbridge &
Livingston and Francis Really consulted with artists to make
the plans for decoration 'harmonize with the j architecture,
The state capitol commission has very wisely, in our opinion,
awarded commissions for the art work to the men who Tiar-
ticipated in the original conception, and whose careers as
artists are proof of their superior talents.
The building itself promises to be an impressive and
beautiful structure. With the embellishment by the sculptor
and the mural painter it ought to become one of the great art
triumphs on the Pacific coast, attracting travelers from all
parts of the world. !
The state is faring very well in a financial way in its
building enterprise. It win get a commodious capitoL faced
in the finest of building materials, white marble, and will
have the art work completed;
will have reason to be proud
the commission which is in charge of its construction.
milE best tribute that may be
I merchant ot Salem who died suddenly Wednesday is -to say that
he bore a high reputation tor integrity as a merchant and as a
man. Active and progressive la
was Interested in the finer things ot aixe asiae xrem , ousiness. in
church, in music, and in WtIc affairs. The loss of a leader of his type
is serious in any community.
' WAn vaara tra oa hla Inauguration day the banks were closed.
This year motor plants are closed and west coast ehipplng suspended,
in.. tmnaa tha fireafdent can open up these industries aa
A Uv vvr iaas j ev f-ww r - -----
e?edlly a he did the banks in
have been leveled at Ameri
foundation. Members of bencn
seeking improved metnods
of litigation, the uncertainty
of time required for trial of
the evidence introduced in a
as to the law. It is felt from
delays in criminal cases the
to permit the district attor
accused persons, after hear
cause of guilt. This would
committed to the Denitentiarv. I
u t j I
iiuuju IlUt ue snwea save iu
for improvement is found how-
made. The recommendations
necessary legal I changes their
is delay back at Washington
held up until a national policy
haa named a committee to de-1
favors a program of cooper
built by the government.
must come t&. some decision.
compensation. A great gov
Decoration
all lor 52,500,000. The people
of the capitol and be grateful to
paid to George E. Allen, prominent
tne management o bis easiness, ne
- . i
-
SI. j
Bits for
Brcalcfast
By R. J. HENDRICKS
Burning of the 1-21-56
historic Bennett j '
house In early part ! V
of legislature of 187:
"a ;
(Coatlnred from yesterday:)
The house of tbe Capital engine
company, whose LaFrance pumper
was disabled, as told In the story,
was located at the southeast cor
ner of Liberty and State streets,
and -was therefore only a few rods
from the burning building. v
: The .Bennett house was on the
northwest corner of State end
High streets,-where t!:a Masonic
building is now. ,
, . . S V
The Tiger engine company, that
had the Silsby machine, waa hous
ed west of and near the southwest
corner of State and Commercial
streets. : v i
There was a great rivalry be
tween the Capitals and Tigers.
That was before Salem had a paid
fire department. All were volun
teers, and the most prominent
men in the city were firemen, and
the most outstanding ladies were
members of the coffee club, which
provided that beverage and lunch
es to the firemen when they were
called upon to fight the destruc
tive element.
V V
"Sidewalk firemen?" That was
a word of contempt for tbe people
who stood around In the way of
the firemen and gave unsolicited
advice. :
The reporter of 50 years ago
who called the Chinese nation the
vilest In the world, and the Can-
tonese nationals of that race who
predominated among the ones who
came to this coast tbe vilest of
tbe vfle, needed a little enlighten
ment. I -
The Chinese
people'
compare
favorably on an average with any
in the; matter of Individual hon
esty and faithfulness to their
pledged words. This was (and Is)
true or tne "cooues" who came
in large numbers to Oregon up to
ciU8lon ,ct
tbe early eighties!, when the; ex-
was !. passed came
mostly from the south of China,
in the Canton section.
The average Chinese house serv
ant was honest and faithful, and
the Chinaman who made a busi
ness promise generally kept it, No
race or nation has; a monopoly on
h human virtues, and ot coarse
there were and are Tile Chinamen,
as a matter of coarse there I" n element i In the population
would be among people who make I which still retains a sentimental
. . - . ..I i ill v i.
up about a fourth of the whole
human race,
xne Chinese are generally thru
tv urlnr In monev mattera mil
the first comers to this coast were
suspicious of the white race, and
did not trust bankers. Hence tbe
hoarded gold and other money of
the Chinamen In the Bennett
house.
But all Chinamen thereafter
trusted our bankers, and were
good depositors, and are to this
day.
The man who told the reporter
that most of tbe members of the
1852-3 territorial legislature were
quartered at the Bennett houe
wa rignu
He would have been correct
had he included the 1451-1 legis
lature, which was the first one to
hold its sessions la Salem; At the
time of the opening of that first
session, the first Monday in De
cember, 1851. the Bennett house
was new; likely finished during
the summer of 1851.
! s v
The I Salem townsite- plat was
. . I
filed March 22. 1SS0. and Bennett
111 UBl UAW UvU wiUQ VVll I
tracted for the site of the Bennett
house.) with w. h. and Chloe a.
Wlllson. the "owners" of the prop
erty though Wlllson in tact only
represented the real owner, : tbe
Oregon Institute, which i became
Willamette university. (But that's
a long story.)
The deed Bennett afterward
received, to 14 lots, among them
the hotel site, cost him $1300.
according to Its face. Those 14
lots, Inj thhe very center of Salem,
are now worth several hundred
thousand dollars.
1 .
But !A. Bush wss not a member
of the: 1852-3 legislature, nor of
the one before. He was not a mem.
ber of (any legislature. But he was
the only territorial printer, and
the first state printer, i He no
doubt i patronized the Bennett
house. During the sessions of the
there Iras no other hotel to pa
tronize;, with room for any con
siders ale number of guests.
ror was Geo. Lt. Curry an ex-
governor aunng euner oi tae
first sessions -of the legislature
in Salem. Not until May 14. 1852.
did he become secretary of the ter
ritory, his first step toward the
chief executive's chair.
W . w
All early : day hostelrles were
called bouses, not hotels, as gen
erally now.
The Bennett house was the first
preventions place in saiem f or the
entertainment of - the traveling
public, with capacity for a eon-
slderable number.
e V V
Before Its day. the traveler.
whether by vehicle or on. horse
back., here In Oregon, generally
went prepared to entertain htm-
seir, wita a roll of blankets aad a
rope to tether his horse, or with
a tent and the makings of a place
to lay his head.
. Cr la ease be came to a cabin.
however small, -rude and scantily
furnished, he was welcome to
share whatever the settler had.
The man who did not offer such
accommodations as he had was
worse than an In grate. ,
(Concluded tomorrow.)
Dallas Legion Post Plans
For State Officers' Visit
DALLAS, Jan. 20 The regular
meeting of the Carl B. Featon post
of the American Legion will be
held Thursday night. Plans will
be made tor the February 4 meet
ing when state officers will be
present.'
s
age of Salcfir
Speculates
By D. H.TALMADGE
THE VALLEY WIXD .
'Tie a - frolicsome, rollicksome
wind '
The wind of the vale called Wil
lamette, i
In from the sea, and la from the
hills. I
A rather nice wind I salaam It!
Round It goes here and round It
. goes there, i
Wet from the south and cold
r from the north,
Hesitates briefly passing the east-
Good idea, too, as might be set
forth. .
Blows from the .west for aa hour
. Or tWO, .; !
Turns south to breeze la on a
leak.
Blows the leakage all oyer the
; place. - -
And we've rainfall for a f uU
week. ' -; : J;;;.-u:;.;;v-v .;,.,-
-Excepting, of course, during the
intervals when the wind Is on Its
travels. But at this season of the
year tbe heart of tbe wind Is In
the south, and it Is never long ab
sent from its home.
' Against the Current
For the first time since Mana
ger Eddie Lewis opened bis pres
ent season of vaudeville at the
St te theater, I caught a breath
of the old-time spirit from the bill
presented Friday and Saturday.
We wbo have come down the
long trail from the days of The
Four Cohans and Harrigan tk Hart
perhaps realize more fully and feel
more deeply than the youngsters
of today the changes that have
come in the attitude of the public
mind in relation to stage variety
entertainment. I
Eventually, j the amusement-
minded public may turn again to
vaudeville and the minstrels.
There are those who think it will.
And there are those, also, who
have attempted to galvanize the
ghost of Uncle Tom, and have thus
far failed to do so.
The public at this time finds
Itself well satisfied by photoplay.
radio and the dally comic strips
in the newspapers. However, there
Is an element" In the population
liking for the flavours of Its youn
ger days, not all of which the stage
and screen seem to them to have
brought along.:
As X was saying Isn't It diffi
cult to keep on the subject? I ask
ed an Innocent question pertain
ing to the fire at Jefferson the
other day. and the gentleman of
whom I asked the question start
ed his reply with the fire at Jef
ferson all right, but when I stag
gered away a half-hour later he
was telling about an attack of
prickly heat he once had In Ari
zonaas I was saying, I say, the
bin of last week-end at the State
had a quality which some others
of the season's bills had failed to
catch. This may have been due fn
some degree to the mood in which
I looked at the shaw. More than
one fairly meritorious entertain
ment has been damned because
the damner chanced to be In the
wrong mood.
But it may also have been due
somewhat to the presence, as
program director, of a former or
nament of the varieties, a man
approaching 70, who did an old-
time step or two and sprung a
number of old-fashioned gags and
sane- a son- in a. aiirnristneiv mnnA
ar aar
Tlc: A half-way down-and-outer,
c:, llU"0
stage bill included two rather pret
ty aance numbers one Spanish the
other of the sort know as "strip,
wnica succeeded: being sensa
tional without being vulgar. And
there was a skating act. which was
somewhat commonplace nerhans.
but done by two youngsters, a boy
and a girl, whose sincerity was so
apparent that it was impossible to
help liking them. The bill ended
with a clamor of recalls for a trio
of musicians, two women with vi
olins and a man with an accord
ion. This act Included a mandolin
solo and a song or two, and the
audience, young and old, liked It.
Some folks are hard as tha
dickens to understand. There was
Wis Hopkins, who lived about two
miles. up the creek from Maion'a
corners, wis Paid coffee kept him
awake nights When he drank it
rr.r annnar Kn .1 m.
for supper, but he always drank
it for supper because if he didn't
he got a sort of weak feeUng in
his stomach, and when he got up
in the morning he groaned a heap
Ten Years Ago
Jaaaary 81. 1927
Pay of legislators will ba in-
creased by $5.0t e day according
to the adoption, of a house con.
current resolution la the senate.
Boy Scout awards ware made
last night; high honor of "Lite
I Scout" awarded to Horace Stew-
art. : - ,, -v
Fire bills recommended br
Governor Patterson transferring
the management of Oregon State
penitentiary from executive de
partment to state board of con
trol approved by senate.
Twenty Veers Ago
Jaaarr H. ltlT
Monmouth is sending aa excur
sion ot 350 students of State
Normal scaool and residents to
Salem to teur Institutions and
riew f legislature.
London rocked by explosion la
huge munitions plant, scores kill
ed, hundreds injured.
Fred 8. Bynoa has received a
bronze medal from international
awards bureau of Panama Pa
cific i international exposition in
recognition of his service in per
sonally collecting and sending to
exposition important exhibits.
Us
because he hadnt slept much dur
ing the night. So Mrs. Hopkins
she gets some Imitation eoee
down at the store the, kind y
know that's made from grains and
vegetables and bark and one thing
and Other and she serves it to
Wis at supper, but It doesnt suc
ceed in keeping Wis shut ofhts
sleeplessness. Wis said imitation
sleeplessness was Just L a.: bad as
any other kind so tar as he was
able to see. Anyway, the neigh
bors said that in the warm wea
ther, when the windows were op
en, they could hear Wis snoring
like a foghorn within ten minutes
after he'd went to bed. and they
believed the coffee story was noth
ing more than an excuse for not
getting up as. early as he ought to
'haTe. : "'
The line which separates bad
luck and something else of a more
personal nature Is a very thin one.
The man who left his galoshes un
der an open window and found
them halt fined with rainwater
next morning called It bad -luck-but
I dunno. . ; ,
INTERPRETATION '
A whistle ounding from the night
outside ; i ; i ,
Is no more than a sound to you
and me,
But to the hearing of the girl in
side - .
Quite plainly it utters the one
word, "he," ;
And to the whisUIng boy the home
, : outside - ij .
t Its sentiment; pub in a word, is
"she,",.; "; j--"
And the sum of its meaning, out
side, inside.
Is no more nor less than the one
word "we."
A Question much favored by
oldsters when I was a kid related
to the size of the moon as it ap
peared to the eyes of a very young
person. "How big does tbe moon
appear to you?" the wise oldster
asked, and some kids replied "as
big as a dinner plate" and others
replied "as big as a barrel head,"
and still others replied "as big as
a world., A belief existed amongst
the oldsters that a reply to this
question threw a light , upon the
character of the kid. perhaps it
did so. but I was never able to
definitely determine .what tbe
light revealed.'
Conditions, I reckon, hare much
to do with a person's Judgment in
such matters. A man who told me
somewhat , more than two years
ago that a silver dollar looked as
big to him as a full moon Inform
ed me yesterday that the swelling
had been reduced considerably of
late. Possession appears at times
to lessen value. I hare heard ba
bies cry for the moon, and there
Is some reason for believing that
the parents would have taken the
moon down and given it to the lit
tle darlings had it been possible
for them to do ao. It is fortunate
that we, with our present equip
ment of mentality, were unable
to be beyond a certain point in
furthering our ambitions. It would
add considerably to the burdens
of family life' to have a moon to
take care of. Still, lt might go a
long way toward solving Musso
lini's territorial problem.
HERE AND THERE
Marconi's definition of science:
"A lantern in a forest ... Tal
lulah Bankhead. for many moons
missing from the Salem screen,
is to "do Scarlet Q'Hara in the
film version of "Gone With the
Wind" . . . Mrs. Simpson is re
ported in the "big" news to have
lost 10 pounds in weight . . .
Queen. Apparent Juliana of Hol
land,' married recently, wore red
flannel under her: wedding gown,
and the bridesmaids wore , red
flannel under their gowns; and
taken all in all it was a good sen
sible Dutch i wedding. I like the
Dutch . . . "Life is mostly froth
and bubble: two things stand like
stone: kindness in another's trou
ble, courage in - one's own."
Charles Klngsley . . . I hear of a
scene in a Rogers-As talre picture
which was retaken 47 times
A window opened a mere crack
when the outside air is cold pro
vides as muca ventilation as a
VrA nnnlon aZ
! trees. Expert opinion ... A par
window open full length at 80 de-
ty of Salem skiers at Idana Sun
day.. No special enthusiasm noted
In their reports . . . I gather that
Mount Hood will get most of next
week's snow and lee party '. . . An
Interesting game, to play. Resem
blance between people in the mo
tion pictures and home folks. Not
many types of beauty or character
in the films that are not duplicat
ed in Salem. Tes, and Improved
upon.
Co-op Oil Plant :
Has Good Report
The Marlon county ' Farmers
Union oil company, ta its annual
meeting this week at Mt. Angel,
elected Ernest Werner of Silver-,
ton. Warren Gray of Marion and
Joe . Wavre of ML Angel to' the
board of directors.' The directors
named Werner president and War
re, vice-president. Joe Brockhause
is secretary-treasurer.
The Coop Oil company pumped
175.127 gallons ot gasoline last
year, against, 201.441 gallons the
previous year, with the financial
return on this commodity nearly
double the 103$ return. Total
sales, include oil, tires, tabes and
other articles reached I C 0.0 4 5.0 7
ia 1030, against "138.001.08 for
1038, with net earnings from op
erations tor 1030 at 83723.30. Net
profit tor 103S war 32801.17. -
A patronage dividend declared
Juae 30. 1030. totaled $701.80.
aad a second patronage dividend
at the end of the year reached
$1182.08. bringing the total div
idend for the year to $1053.87.
1 1 tl m
n 1 W. C
flk o..J
ove
CHAPTEIl XXXII
In the spring, when the acac
ia trees were aweet with their
feathery yellow. bloom, and flow
ering fruit trees all over Berk
eley burst into pink and white
and - coral glory. . Christie's at
torney. Nelson Pierce, drove up
to Spanish Pass to taut to some
of the people who had known
Adolphus Cooper. ,
"Want to come?" he had-ask
ed her. ('.
Want to come? Her whole be
ing ached with homesickness for
the mountains. , To smeii - tne
pines. To feel the slippery pine
needles thick under her feet. To
see the first wild flowers. Butter
mm. Indian naint , brush. Jon-
nie Jump Ups, and the little wild
violets, purple ana wnue. .
Above all. to see the old house
again. Just to look at it from
the outside. jEven that would be
heaven. ' :
But she couldn't ask Janet
Woods to keep Donny for a
whole day, and she couldn't take
him on such a long 'drive.
"N no I don't believe I do,
she told him.; i
So he went! atone, and just to
keep her. mindj oft of it she
spent the day washing woodwork
and windows, and waxing floors,
pausing only long enough to
rescue Donny! front the - corners
he got into with his "walker,
inanod hr Janet! whose "Sister
didn't need it any more, and to
answer him as
he recited his
vocabulary; oxer
and over
"Mmm Dada Mumm
Dada "
"Yes, darling!
IMummum is lis
tening Daddy will come bye and
bye. : ! -.' J----
But her mind was miles away.
Next'day Nelson Pierce came
out to see- her. !
"Not much! lufk. he said.
"I was afraid not. Dad never
talked much, you know."
V "Evidently noti I found plenty
who knew, you as his daughter,
though. Let's see, Hector Bloom
er is one remember him?"
Remember him! My goodness,
he kept store there, eTer since I
can remember. Gladys Piatt and
I .used to buy all dsy suckers
aad potato Chips there! But I
never liked his wife because she
was one of the church ladies who
told Dad he oughtn't to let me
run wild that was before he
married Aunt Nettie, of course.
"I dare say. About your Aunt
Nettie. She's prepared to put a lot
ot money into this thing. In fact
she's already spent a lot. McGUnn
and Stanley hare had a man in
Alaska and they've got everything
cold. Of .course we i have traced
mi r mn r father's activities, but
most of those old timers are dead
now.. ' -" I r"-'-r
"I haven't got the records of his
marriage, but lt must hare been
a good ten years before you were,
born maybe ; longer. You didn't
tell me that Mlmi was 38 when
she died.
"Why, she couldnt have been!
She was awfully youag. I can stiU
remember how she looked. Very
slender, and with sort of trans
parent white skin, and pale gold
hair ever so much lighter than
mine. She was Just a girl every
body spoke of her as Dad's young
wife '.-. w
, "That's true enough -she was
2 8 " years younger than he waa.
But she was 38 when she died I
Lhave those records all right.
Before Christie's eyes- floated
the picture of Mlmi, a slender
wraith of a girl making daisy
chains for. her oa a gTeea hillside
that last spring
: Could she have been that oldf
-. But Nelson Pierce seemed to
know. He went on speaking:
"She was Just a kid a mere
ehfld. when she first showed np la
Nome but don't forget that that
was more than 30 years ago, and
old Adolphus was In ' his prime
thensomewhere la the forties.
"Whevz! Gotta get my barn painted
afore mv paint gives out!"
T aaaaSBSa-' .aSBaVPr M M -
lb i ta n y
s
but fuU iof fight still, and strong
as is horse.- . .
fHe'di already made two tor
tunes one in gold on the Yukon
and another In a dance hall ahd
gambling place he had in Dawson.
Then he sold out and. moved to
Nome when the rush came there,
and he picked up another fortune.
?Mimt didn't work long as an
entertainer. They moved around
a lot after the rush was over, and
made a couple of trips to Seattle
before they finally closed up and
came back here to the states. Yes.
he made a lot of money, Mrs. Lath
am." . i V:.: '
VI can see him as a miner he
always liked mines and he always
had some prospecting going on
somewhere. But I can't think ot
Dad running a gambling
place ' .
- 'fWellj Alaska was a pretty
rough place at one time ",
"I know. But Dad was so dif
ferent. So quiet. And Mlmi was so
gentle and sweet. . -
"Of course. I do know that she
sang ballads Dad told me about
that once and I know it was true,
but I cant see how a young girl
like that ever happened to go to
a place like Nome.
"I told yon that Aunt Nettle
would never talk about it. And
heaven knows their family the
G e d d e s were respectable
enough! I wasn't much more than
a baby when Dad took me back
there after Mlmi died, you know
but I can still remember the
stiff,; early Victorian house and
the afternoon coffee parties and
Grandma Geddes in black silk." i
''But they're all dead, Mrs. La
tham. The only one . who could
throw any light on it is this al
leged aunt of yours. Nettle Ged
das Cooper, and depend on it, she
won't! Of course, if I can get a
little more positive information
such as she won't care to have
aired in a courtroom " A
What do you mean?" she ask
ed, uneasily. . j
Well old family history
such as ' ' . j
He hesitated. Latham's wife
was inclined to be difficult at
times. And 'he was having . diffi
culties enough without adding to
them. - -: j;
'Such as what?" .'- I
Well why Mlmi left home
and went to Alaska, for one thing.
You will admit that doesn't sound
very well, and it as I think there.
waa a good-reason for it. Nettle
Cooper, with her social aspirations
isn't going to like that, very
much!"
PI won't have my mother drag
ged into it! I don't care what she
did. I don't erea want to. hear
about it. And It you're going to
try to win the case that way you
can atop right now, because I
un-excuse me that's the door
bell" --. - - r; i :
' Just her luck. A collector. But
one of .the pleasanter ones.
"How about a little check for
Gorman's Wood and Coal com
pany?" f'Oh! well, not today, but I
think next week ,
fMondayt-
-Yes ill try to have It on
Monday" - . .
-ALL right. Monday It Is. About
how much were you thinking of
-Well I dont 1 know exacUy.
I might" - .
The full payment? Let me aee
yes $18.85. That's the amount
Mrs. LAinam." -
"Well X , couldn't promise ft
au. But I II try. come back Mon
day - l ' . ;
"VERT welL GOOD day. -
That was the worst of a front
door that opened right Into the
living room. No priracy. Though
when they built the v house they
had not counted -on collectors.
. She closed the door." returned
to Pierce with aa apolegitlc little
smue. : . . . .
T'ifow yon ! leave ererything to
1 " iriT"-"
V
tat'
Hazel Livingston
ma. and don't -worry." be said
brightly. He rose to go.
"But I mean: that about my
mother!" " ! - . I
"She wasn't your mother. That
much is clear. I still hope to prove
that Adolphus Cooper was your
father, ! bat we ( know definitely
that Mimi Geddes Cooper wasn't
your mother. Didn't X make that
clear before?"
"Oh. yes. I understand that.
It's the way 1 feel about her. I
won't have anything against her
come out in court not if I never
get a nickel!" )
He was a patient, kindly manv
but he had spent time and money
on this case. What's more, he had
gtven up an afternoon of golf at
the Wlldwood club to come out
here to talk to her. j
"I'm afraid it's a little late to
assume such an attitude. Please
believe X am working in your best
Interests and leave lt all to met"
He left brusquely, leaving her
alone with her new, disturbing
fears. . .-'-!- -.. .
.. : . j
Christie wanted to talk things
over with Donald,! but she couldn't
bring herself to do it. He thought
she was sentimental about Mimi
anyway, and he told her, over and
over again, that j the entire case
was likely to take more courage
than she'd hare.!
"You don't know me." she said ,
hotly. "I may be sort of shy. but
when I hereto do things X can do
them. Remember the time I went
to St. John's hospital and talked
to the superintendent ot nurses
when I wanted a Job there? ily
knees were positively knocking to
gether, but I made myself do lt. j
"And It certainly took courage
to go to Aunt Nettie the way; I
did. Why, I'd rather face a dozen
courts than go through THAT
again. Besides I'm like Dad I'm
a fighter!". ;-:.!. , i j
He had smiled, a little sadly.
"Perhaps we're all brave in our
own way. It's when we're cabled
upon to be brave in a way we were
not expecting, that we smash!"!
She knew that he was thinking
of himself. He had been brave
enough to give up time and money
and strength to work on that the
ory of his. He hadn't minded bar
ing people tell him he was crazy,
or being poor, or risking bis
health. He'd haTe died for the
cause. It necessary. It was this
other thing the notoriety, the
unfair criticism, that was proving
too much for him. j
Her arms had gone around .
him. comfortably. -
"I know X know" she had
murmured. -- "
But she hadn't known' at all.
She was Just finding out now..
She had thought that lt would
take courage and patience to work
with Mr. Pierce on his documents
and plans. Catching the bus. going
down-to his office day after day,
with Donny In her arms, wasn't
easy. She had been prepared to
face Aunt Nettie and all the world.
In court. To stand up before them,
and tell her story, bravely.
But this this was different.
How could aha let them drag the
ghost of the fragile, lovely Mimi
Into a crowded, sordid courtroom?
Hare her labeled dance hall girl
good time girlperhaps worse?
Aad how could the giro-it up
now without offering to pay for
the work that Pierce had alresdy
put into It? And where would she
get the money to pay?
She got oat the silver set thst
had been Mimll, eried a little orer
the photograph of her in the Mer
ry Widow, hat, and even tried to
get Pierce on the telephone to tell
him that no matter what happen
ed, he wasat to drag Mimi into
it. and that was final. But he was
out of town, the -office said, and
besides, the case had been post
poned again.
She worried still, whenever sb
thought -of It, But Donny cut b'
. (Continued on page 0)
fete
5
I