Zelda Dameron
By
MEREDITH NICHOLSON
CoprrUKt. 1S04, by Tk BobU-MatriH Co.
CHAPTER IVi
The law offices of Knight, Kittredge
A Carr were tucked away In the rear
of an old building that stood at the
apex of a triangle. The firm had been
tenants of the same rooms for many
years. There was a battered tin sign
at the entrance, but Its inscription
could be read only by persons who re
membered it from bygone days. Knight
and Kittredge had been prominent In
State politics during and Immediately
following the Civil War. They were
dead now, but Carr, who had left poll
tics to his partners, survived, and he
had changed nothing in the offices.
In the old days it had been the cus
tom of the members of the firm of
Knight, Kittredge & Carr to assemble
every morning at 8 o'clock In the li
brary for a brief discussion of the
news of the day, or for a review of
the work that lay before them. The
young men who were fortunate enough
to be tolerated In the offices had al
ways enjoyed these discussions Im
mensely, for Governor Kittredge and
Senator Knight had known men and
manners as well as the law; and Mi
chael Carr knew Plato and the Greek
and Latin poets as he knew the way
home.
These morning conferences were still
continued in Morris Leighton's day,
though Knight and Kittredge had long
been gone. It might be a topic from
the day's news that received attention,
or some new book Michael Carr was
a persistent novel reader or it might
be even a bit of social gossip that was
discussed. Mr. Carr was a man of de
liberate habits, and when he set apart
this half-hour for a talk with his
young men, as he called them, It mada
no difference that the president of a
great railway cooled his heels in the
outer office while the Latin poets were
discussed In the library, or that other
dignified Caucasians waited while ne
gro suffrage was debated.
Ezra Dameron was waiting for him
this morning, for it was the first of
October; and on the first of every
month Ezra Dameron went to the of
fices to discuss his personal affairs. He
was of an economical turn, and he
made it a point to combine as many
Questions as possible in a single con
sultation. His relations with the of
fices were of long standing and dated
back to a day when Knight, Kittredge
& Carr were a new firm and Ezra
Iameron was a young merchant whom
people respected, and whose prospects
In life were bright
While Ezra Dameron waited for Mi
chael Carr, Rodney Merriam was walk
ing slowly from his house in Seminary
Square down High street to Jefferson,
swinging his stick, and gravely return
ing the salutations of friends and ac
quaintances. He came presently to
the offices of Knight. Kittredge & Carr.
He Btepped into the reception-room
and found it empty. The door into the
library was closed but he could hear
Carr"s voice; and he knew that the
lawyer was holding one of those morn
ing talks with his clerks and sftidents
that Morris Leighton had often de
scribed. He looked about with inter
est and then crossed the hall. The
doors of three private offices were
closed, but he turned the knob of the
one marked in small black letters "Mr.
Carr," and went in.
Ezra Dameron was still looking out
of the window when the door was
flung open. He supposed Carr had
come, and having been gazing out into
the sunny court, his sight did not ac
commodate itself at once to the dim
light of the little room.
"Ah, Mr. Carr " he began.
"Good-morning, Ezra," said Rodney
Merriam, blandly. Dameron knew the
voice before he recognized his brother-in-law,
and after a second's hesitation
he advanced with a great air of cor
diality. "Why, Rodney, what brings you into
the haunts of the law? I thought you
were a man who never got into trou
ble. I'm waiting for Mr. Carr. I have
a standing appointment with him this
same day every month excepting
Sundays, of course."
"So I have understood. I don't want
to see Mr. Carr, however; I want to
eee you."
Dameron glanced at his brother-in-law
anxiously. He had believed Mer
rlam's appearance to be purely acci
dental, and he was not agreeably dis
appointed to find that he had been
mistaken. He looked at the little clock
on Carr's desk, and was relieved to
find that the lawyer would undoubt
edly appear in a few minutes.
"I should be glad, at any other time,
Rodney, but Mr. Carr is very particu
lar about his appointments."
"I have heard so, Ezra. What I
have to say to you will not interfere
with your engagement with Mr. Carr.
As near as I can remember, it has been
ten years since I enjoyed a conversa
tion with you."
"Letter let the old times go I I
am willing to let them go, Rodney."
"And on that last occasion, t my
memory serve me, I believe I told you
that you were an infernal scoundrel."
"You were very violent, very unjust;
but let it all go, Rodney. I treasure
no unkind feelings."
"It would be a source of real annoy
ance to me to have you think for a
moment that I have changed my mind.
I want to have a word with you about
Zelda. She has chosen to go to live
with you "
"Very loyal, very noble of her. I'm
ure I appreciate it."
"I hope you do. She doesn't under
stand what a contemptible hound you
are, and I don't Intend to tell her. And
you may be quite sure that her Aunt
Julia will never tell her how you
treated her mother how you made her
life a curse to her. I don't want you
to think that because I have let you
alone these ten years I have forgotten
or forgiven you. I wouldn't trust you
to do anything that demanded the low
est cense of honor or manhood."
There was no sign of anger or even
resentment In Ezra' face. His Inevit
SSSSBBBjBtt
able smile died away in a sickly grin.
but he said nothing.
"With this little preface I think you
will understand that what I have
sought you out for Is not to ask favors
but to give orders, In view of Zee's re
turn."
"But, Rodney, Rodney that matter
needs no discussion. I shall hope to
make my daughter happy In her fath
er's house I am her natural protect-
"Tou are, Indeed; but a few Instruc
tions from me will be of great assist
ance, Ezra. To begin with, I want you
to understand that the first time I
hear you have mistreated that girl or
in any way made her, uncomfortable I
shall horsewhip you In front of the
postoffice. The second time I shall cow
hide you In your own house, and the
third offense I shall punish either by
shooting you or taking you out and
dropping you Into the river, I haven't
decided which. I expect you to pro
vide generously for her out of the
money her mother left her. If you
haven't squandered It there ought to
be a goodly sum by this time."
"I fear she has acquired expensive
tastes abroad. Julia always spent
money wastefully."
"You ugly hypocrite, talking about
expensive tastes! I suppose you have
let everybody you know imagine that
it has been your money that has kept
Zee abroad. It's like you, and you're
certainly a consistent beast. As I was
saying, I mean that you shall treat her
well, not according to your own Ideas
but mine. I want you to brace up and
try to act or look like a white man.
You've got to keep enough servants in
that old shell of yours to take care of
It. You must be Immensely rich by
this time. You haven't spent any
money for twenty years; and you've
undoubtedly profited well in your
handling of what Margaret left Zee.
That was like Margaret, to make, you
trustee of her child s property, after
the dog's life you had led her! You
may be sure that it wasn't because she
had any confidence in you, but because
she had borne with you bravely, and
It was like her to make an outward
show of respect for you from the
grave. And I suppose she hoped you
might be a man at last for the girl's
sake. The girl's her mother over
again; she's a thoroughbred. And you
I suppose God tolerates you on earth
merely to make Heaven more attrac
tive." '
Merriam at no time raised his voice;
the Merrlams were a low-spoken fani
lly: and when Kodney Merriam was
quietest he was most dangerous.
Voices could be heard now across the
hall. The morning conference was at
an end; and Michael Carr crossed to
his room at twenty-five minutes be
fore nine, and opened the door In the
full knowledge that Ezra Dameron was
waiting for him. Many strange things
had happened in the offices of Knight,
Kittredge & Carr: but Michael Carr
had long ago formed the habit of see
ing everything and saying nothing.
"Good morning, gentlemen," he said.
affably, and shook hands with both
men.
"I have Just been warning Ezra
against overwork,'" said Merriam, com
posedly. "At Ezra's age a man ought
to check himself; he ought to let other
people use the hammer and drive the
nails."
"Rodney always had his little Joke,'
said Dameron, and laughed a dry
laugh that showed his teeth in his very
unpleasant smile.
Merriam wished both gentlemen a
satisfactory disposition of their busi
ness. It was, of course, a perfectly
natural thing for him to drop into a
law office on a pleasant October morn
ing and, meeting there a connection of
his family, hold converse with him on
matters of common interest. Michael
Carr was not, however, a dull man
and he understood perfectly that Rod
ney Merriam had decided to resume
diplomatic relations with Ezra Darner
on; and tie rightly guessed the reason
to be the return of Margaret Daraer-
on's daughter to her father's house.
Merriam found Morris Leighton at
work In the library. The young man
threw, down his book In surprise as the
old. gentleman darkened the door.
"The date shall be printed In red Ink
on the office wall! I never expected to
see you here!"
"It may never nappen again, my
boy. Is this, all you have to do, read
books? I sometimes wish I had been
a lawyer. Nothing to do but read and
write; it's the easiest business there
is."
"Mr. Carr would like to see you; I'd
be glad to call him except that this
Is his morning with Mr. Dameron."
"To be sure it is; but don't trouble
yourself, i've seen both of them, any
how." "Oh!"
"I Just happened In and found Mr.
Dameron waiting; so I amused him
until Mr. Carr appeared. You still
have your historic morning round-up
here. I suppose. There are two things
that you young gentlemen will un
doubtedly derive from Mr. Carr good
manners and sound literary tastes."
CHAPTER V.
Zelda's days ran on now m.uch like
those of other girls In Mariona. Be
tween Mrs. Forrest and Mrs. Carr, she
was well launched socially, and her
time was fully occupied. She overhauled
the house and changed Its furnishings
radically while her father blinked at
the expenditures. Rodney Merriam,
dropping In often to chaff Zelda about
her neglect of himself, rejoiced at tha
free way in which she contracted bills.
The old mahogany from the garret fit
ted Into the house charmingly. The din
gy walls were brightened with new pa
pers; the old carpets were taken up,
the floors stained, t save the trouble
of putting down hardwood, and rugs
bought
Ezra Dameron's greatest shock was
the Installing of the telephone In his
house; but every on else In Mariona,
so Zelda assured him, had one; and It
would undoubtedly be of service to her
In many ways. Her real purpose was
to place herself in communication with
her aunt and uncle, whose help she
outwardly refused but secretly leaned
on.
zelda did not disturb the Mack wom
an In the kitchen, though she employed
a house-maid to supplement her ser
vices; but she labored patiently to cor
rect some of the veteran Polly's dia
tressing faults. Polly was a good cook
In the haphazard fashion of her kind.
She could not read, so, that the cook
books which Zelda bought were of no
use to her. She shook her head over
"book cookln'," but Zelda, who dimly
remembered that her mother had spent
much time In the kitchen, bought a
supply of aprons and gave herself per
sistently to culinary practice. Or, she
sat and dictated to Polly from one of
the recipe books while that amiable
soul mixed the Ingredients; and then,
after the necessary interval of fear and
hope, they opened the oven door and
peered in anxiously upon triumph or
disaster.
A horse was duly purchased at Lex
ington, on an excursion planned and
managed by Mrs. Carr. They named
the little Hambletonian Xanthippe,
which Zelda changed to Zan, at her
uncle's suggestion. It was better, he
said, not to Introduce any more of the
remoter letters of the alphabet Into
the family nomenclature; and as they
already had Z It would be unwise to
add X. Moreover, It was fitting that
Zee should own Zan!
The possession of the pretty brown
mare and a runabout greatly Increased
Zelda's range of activities. Her uncle
kept a saddle horse and he taught her
how to ride and drive.- He also, under
Ezra Dameron's very eyes, had the old
barn reconstructed, to make a proper
abiding place for a Kentucky horse of
at least decent ancestry, and employed
a stable-boy.
Zelda became dally more conscious
of her father's penurious ways, that
were always cropping out In the petty
details of the housekeeping. One even
ing when he thought himself unob
served, she saw him walking down the
front stairway, avoiding the carpet on
the treads with difficult care. Zelda
did not at first know what he was do
ing; but she soon found this to be
only one of his many whimsical econ
omies. He overhauled the pantry now
and then, making an Inventory of the
amount of flour, sugar and coffee in
stock, and he still did a part of the
marketing. Zelda had given the black
stable-boy orders 'that Zan was to be
fed generously; and when she found
that her father was giving contrary
directions she said nothing, but con
nived with the boy in the purchase of
hay and corn to make good the defi
ciency caused by her indulgence.
Late one afternoon she drove to a
remote quarter of town in pursuit of a
laundress that had failed her. She
concluded her arrand and turned Zan
homeward, but lost her way In seeking
to avoid a railway track on which a
line of freight cars blocked her path.
She came upon a public school, build
ing, which presented a stubborn front
to a line of shops and saloons on the
opposite side of a narrow street. Two
boys were engaged In combat on the
sidewalk at the school-house entrance,
surrounded by a ring of noisy partl
zans. A young woman, a teacher, Zel
da took her to be, hurried toward the
scene of trouble from the school-house
door, and at her approach the ring of
spectators dispersed in disorder, leav
ing the combatants alone, .vainly spar
ring for an advantage before they, too,
yielded the field. Zelda unconscious
ly drew in her horse to watch the con
clusion of matters. The young woman
stepped between the antagonists with
out parley, catching the grimy fists of
one of the boys In her hands, whlla
the other took to his heels amid the
jeers of the gallery. Zelda heard the
teacher's voice raised In sharp rap
rimand as she dismissed the lad with
a wave of her hand that Implied an
authority not to be gainsaid.
(To be continued.)
Hla Trcawrer Knew.
He who goes into politics must re
member what he is recorded to" have
said, for It is the habit of the sharp
nosed public to search out past utter
ances and hold the candidate responsi
ble for them. John Burns, says Mr.
Grubb in his life of that labor leader,
once made the slip of remarking that
no .man was worth mote than 500 a
year. Accordingly, when he became a
cabinet member with a salary of 2,
000, he was obviously open to attack.
When he first met his constituents
at Battersea after he was made presi
dent of the local government board a
candid friend recalled the statement
about a man's worth by calling out in
the middle of his speech:
Wot abaht that 'ere salary of 2,-
000?"
Mr. Burns was equal to the occa
sion.
That Is the recognized trade union
rate for the job," was his apt reply.
"If I took less I would be a black
leg." Wot yer goln' ter do with the 1,-
500 over?" pursued the inquisitive
questioner.
For details, answered Mr. Burns,
"apply to my treasurer, Mrs. Burns."
The Retort (onrlfiiui.
A young woman had fallen upon the
ice-covered pavement, and a man step
ped forward to offer his services.
"Allow me he began, but his feet
slipped and he fell flat upon his back.
Certainly, responded the young
woman, gravely. Llppincott's.
Ilia Identity Dlacloaed.
Judge What do you do during the
week?
Witness Nothing.
Judge And on Sunday.
Witness I take a day off.
Judge Oh, I see. What salary does
the city pay you? Llppincott's.
Elevatta.
Wiggs The man who loves a wo
man can't help being elevated. 'VTagg
And the man who loves more than
one Is apt to be sent up too. Phila
delphia Record.
Erer know a
'Jokey" man whs
amounted to much
TOOGRESS AND INDUSTRY.
Old age Insurance Is compulsory In
Germany.
Musk Importations In 1908 &mounW
to over 180,000.
The silk of the spider is lighter and
stronger than that secured from the
silkworm.
iavenaer and rose perfumes are
credited with the virtue of being ml
crobe-ktllers.
Four and a half million gross boxes
of matches are used in London in a
year.
Traveling cranes are now equipped
with scales, so the load may be weigh
ed in transit
There are about 3,000 weddings ev
ery twenty-four hours, taking the en
tiro world into consideration.
The natives of Korea carry visiting
cards which measure about ' twelve
inches square, and when their use is
required they are merely shown.
The Farthing Gazette, probably tho
cheapest daily newspaper in existence
has been started In Moscow, and has
already a considerable circulation.
While two police were set aside "o
guard the Bank of England, and two
the stock exchange, nine were employ
ed to look after the Beckton gas worka.
During 1908 the automobile export
business of France, United States, Uni
ted Kingdom, Italy and Germany, tan
five leading countries engaged In thalr
manufacture and sale, aggregated
more than $45,000,000, against $9,000,-
000 in 1902, a growth of 400 per cent.
Automobile exports from the four for
eign countries named, taken as a
whole, increased from $8,000,000 to
$39,000,000, a gain of 385 per cent,
while those from the United States in
creased from $1,000,000 to $5,500,000, a
gain of 450 per cent.
FASHION HINTS
A very attractive dress for a young pirl
il made tunic fashion of dark blue Rajah,
with Persian Bands as trimming. -The
undersleevei are of deep ecru net, finely
tucked.
WOULDN'T STAND FOB IT.
When It Came to Taking; the Sul
tan's Medicine, Jlarem Rebelled.
Abdul Hamid, ex-Sultan of Turkey,
is certainly a miserable old man. To
cap the climax of all his woes It is
stated that he has been deserted by his
beloved and, up to recently, devoted
harem. Wouldn't that make any Turk
just a little' bit disgusted with life in
general, especially a man who has al
ways been famed for the beauty of the
ladies who reigned over his heart and
home? According to La Turquie, the
ex-Sultan was in such fear of being
poisoned that all food or drink which
he took had previously to be tasted by
some member of his entourage. Re
cently he decided to make similar reg
ulations with regard to the medicine
prescribed for him by his medical at
tendants. The result was that the women of
the harem were called upon to swallow
nauseous drugs and potions, a reglmec
which soon told upon their health. In
order to save themselves further ex
periences of the kind they decided to
desert the ex-Commander of the Faith
ful, which they did at the dead of
night, so as to "avoid painful parting
scenes with the prisoner."
From an incident at Frankfort-on-Main,
Germany, it would appear that
after the dispersal of the ex-Sultan's
harem some of the women were fas
cinated by the footlights of the vaude
ville stage. The chief attraction at a
Frankfort music ball has been eight
"genuine odalisques from Abdul
Ham id's harem," who appeared under
the charge of two eunuchs.
A member of the audience discovered
that one of the women spoke German
with a pure Berlin accent. He com
plained to the police, who proceeded to
the hotel where the party stayed to in
vestigate the supposed fraud. The
Turkish consul, being called, declared
that the passports proved that seven
of the members of the troupe were
actually women of the harem. The
eighth alleged odalisque, who hailed
fiom Berlin, fell on her knees and Im
plored the consul's protection, declar
ing that she bad been kidnaped by the
two Turks In charge of the troupe-
Kept It Several Weeka.
Cynlcus It Is Impossible for a wo
man to keep a secret.
Henpekke I don't know about that
My wife and I were engaged for asv
eral weeks before she said anything to
me about It
Editor I am obliged to decline your
poem with thank I am very sorry,
but Poet But what? Editor The
management Insists upon my declining
all poems Uat nay
CROPS FOR DRY FARMING.
Fall-Sown Grains Generally Best for
This Purpose.
Wheat is the great money-making
crop of a large part of the semi-arid
West. It is not particularly a drouth
resistant crop, although certain varie
ties appear to succeed better than
others in the dry districts. The hard
Red Turkey or Russian wheat is the
type or variety which has proven hard
iest and most productive throughout
the Western part of the winter wheat
belt. In the spring wheat states the
standard sorts grown are Fife and
Bluestem, which are also hard wheats,
The Durum, or Macaroni wheat,
is
rapidly coming into use in the Noit'i
western states, and it appears to be
hardier and more productive than the
ordinary spring wheats. This wheat
was introduced from Russia, where it
has long been grown in a climate and
under conditions similar to those of the
western part of the Northwest states,
It is decidedly a "dry land farming"
crop, and it is the hope of those inte
rested in introducing this wheat that
it may prove successful in districts
where the rainfall is not sufficient or
is too uncertain to grow the common
wheat, and thus extend profitable
wheat growing still farther west and
into the semi-arid lands of the Moun
tain states.
At present, with the varieties grown,
the success of the wheat crop in the
West is more largely due to the fact
that the crop grows during a part of
the year when drouth is least apt to
prevail than to the drouth-resistant
character of the crop. But wheat is a
deep feeder and a rapid grower. The
plant draws its food and moisture from
a large volume of soil and is able to
withstand considerable unfavorable
weather conditions; yet the crop is
often materially injured and the yield
decreased by drouth during almost any
period of its growth. By hot winds
and unfavorable weather conditions a
promising crop may be destroyed in a
few days.
Wheat cannot stop growing and re
main dormant during an unfavorable
period of growth, as does kaflr corn or
sorghum. The grain must finish its
growth and mature in about a certain
period, whatever the conditions for
growth may be.
Spring wheat is not well adapted for
growing in Kansas, but with sufficient
moisture to start it in the fall, and
with the usual spring rains, winter
wheat is a profitable crop, even in the
western counties of the state, where
the annual rain fall does not exceed
fifteen to twenty inches.
However, the methods of growing
the crop are crude. Often the West
ern farmer plants so many acres that
he is unable to farm the land well,
and the result is a poor crop, if the
season is at all unfavorable, .
Some farmers, however, are adopt
ing better methods. Enough good
farming has been done to prove that it
pays to cultivate and till the land well.
Mr. H. W. Campbell reported remark
able results from practice of his sys
tem of culture on the Pomeroy model
farm, in Graham county, Kansas.
For sereval years this farm was made
to produce twice as much wheat per
acre as the average crop in the sur
rounding country with on other treat
ment of the soil except thorough till
age and cultivation.
At the Fort Hays Branch experiment
station, in Ellis county, enough has
been accomplished, in the ten seasons
since that station was established, to
demonstrate that in the semi-arid
West good farming pays as well or
even better than it does in the rich
farming states of the Mississippi val
ley.
Emmer.
Emmer has proved to be especially
hardy and drouth-resistant, and in the
Northwestern states this grain has
given greater yields per acre than bar
ley or oats. However, at the Fort
Hays station, in Western Kansas, em
rher has not proved as hardy and pro
ductive as barley and oats. As a feed
emmer will hardly take the place of
barley and oats, but it may be ground
and fed in combination with these
grains or with corn. Wherever barley
or oats produce well emmer is not an
especially profitable crop to grow, but
in those sections of the West in which
the grains mentioned cannot be suc
cessfully grown, emmer may prove to
be a profitable crop.
Barley.
Barley is successfully grown in Kan
sas farther west than any other spring
grain. In fact, barley is produced in
larger quantities in the western coun
ties of Kansas than in the central and
eastern counties. The counties pro
ducing the largest number of bushels
in 1900 were as follows: Pawnee,
Barton, Ness, Rush, Thomas, Pratt
and Hodgman. Each of these counties
produced over 150,000 bushels of bar
ley in the year mentioned.
Winter Rye,
Another crop that grows success
fully in western Kansas is winter rye.
This crop, however, is not grown as
extensively as barley, and is appar
ently a less profitable crop to grow
than wheat. Dry Farming Bulletin.
Train Robbers Confess.
Fairfield, Cal. Carl Dunbar Bishop,
of Kansas City, Mo., who, under the
name of Charles Dunbar, was arrested
here as a' suspect in connection with
the robbery of the China and Japan
fast mail near Benicia last April 17,
has not only confessed his complicity
in that crime, but has also admittted
that he and his partner, Joseph C.
Brown, robbed the postofnee at. Arma
da, Cal., last June 15. Brown had pre
viously confessed the train robbery.
PASSION TO SPEND
BANKER CRITICISES CONDUCT OP
AMERICAN PEOPLE.
Sses the Almost Universal Desire for
Automobiles as a Text From
Which to Preach a 8ermon
on Economy.
Extravagance has become not only
a national vice but is in fact becom
ing a national menace in the opin
ion of Joseph T. Talbert, vice-president
of the National City bank of New
York. Mr. Talbert, who spoke before '
the Texas Bankers' association, said
that there does not appear any
where to exist In the conduct
of national, municipal or individual
affairs, that appreciation of the eco
nomical and prudent use of resources
and that adjustment of expenditures
to means and Incomes which always
have been found necessary to the
support of prosperity and to the
maintenance of a condition of
solvency.
The speaker cited the automobile
craze as a case in point. we are
squandering on pleasure vehicles an
nually sums of money running Into
hundreds of millions of dollars," he
continued. "The Initial cost of auto
mobiles to American users amounts
to not less than $250,000,000 a year.
The up-keep and other necessary ex
penditures, as well as Incidentals,
which would not otherwise be In
curred, amount to at least as much
more. This vast sura is equivalent
In actual economic waste each year
to more than the value of property
destroyed in the San Francisco fire
perhaps to twice as much. This sum,
as large as it Is, does not Include the
whole economic loss growing out of
this single item of Indulgence. The
thousands of young and able-bodied
men employed in manufacturing ma
chines and In running and caring for
cars, are all withdrawn from produc
tive usefulness; they become consu
mers of our diminishing surplus pro
ducts and constitute an added bur
den to the producers. The economlo
Influence of this withdrawal from the
producing and addition to the con
suming class. Is bound to be mani
fested in a tendency to higher prices.
Its effect already must be consider
able, and is comparable only to the
maintenance of an enormous stand
ing army.
'Thousands upon thousands of our
people, frenzied by desire for pleas
ure and crazed by passion to spend.
hare mortgaged their homes, pledged
their life Insurance policies, with
drawn their hard-earned savings
from banks to buy, automobiles; and
have thereby converted their modest
assets Into expanding and devouring
liabilities. The spectacle Is astound
lng.
In the matter of Individual ex
penditures it is the fashion now to be
extravagant to the point of wasteful
ness, and the fashion Is running riot.
Individual thrift Is considered not
merely miserly hoarding, but It Is
looked upon as a vice and a thing to
be despised. It Is said that this Is
not a day of small things, and that
wealth, as wealth goes now, may no
longer be accumulated by the
slow process of savings and econ
omies. This ir.y be true If we shall
measure wealth only by billions or
hundreds of millions, but, Just as
surely as there ever existed virtue In
economy, of contentment and inde
pendence in frugality, they are there
today, and Just as surely as Individu
al and national extravagance ever
led to a day of reckoning they are
doing so today. Among nations, and
among individuals, permanent wealth
and material progress are the results
not so much of natural resources
as they are the products of economy
and thrift; not alone economy In the
arts of production, but economy of
use.
"The maintenance of the present
high level of prices Is dependent upon
the sustained purchasing power of
the Individual which in turn depends
very largely. If not wholly, upon the
expansion of credit. Herein lies one
of the chief elements of weakness and
danger In the situation.
"If the banks may by Increasing
loans create credits, which In turn
create purchasing power and a sus
tained demand for high-priced goods
thereby still further advancing prices
In the benefits of which all classes
share except those who possess fixed
Incomes, It may be asked why this Is
not good; why not continue to pro
mote the general ability to spend;
why not continue giving to each In
dividual an amount of enjoyment,
luxury and pleasure unknown before,
particularly when all this may be ac
complished by merely Increasing
loans? The simple answer Is that it
cannot be done because In the long
run every act of wastefulness and
every Item of extravagance must be
paid for to the last farthing; every
item consumed must be earned."
Mr. Talbert also discussed the dan
ger of the country losing its great
trade balance and of adding an ad
verse trade balance to the other debit
Items which run against this country
to the extent of hundreds of millions
of dollars a year. Mr. Talbert esti
mated these Items at a total of 1900.
000.000, lnelndlng $200,000,000 spent
abroad by American travelers.
Ths Permanent Fruit.
"The fruit crop has failed!" ex
claimed the apprehensive person.
"Yes," replied the gloomy boarder,
"but what's the use of trying to b
hopefuL That never applies to
prunes." Washington Star.