JUST
A DESERT
EPISODE
By GLEN D. HURST
( by Short Story Pub. Co.)
THE setting for the last chapter
in the life of Old Man Murphy
was the heart of the Nevada
desert ; the time the exhll
fteatlng but turbulent spring seasou of
Re year 190 .
The old man stood In the door of
his cabin on the side of a rugged des
ert range, and In troubled spirit he
gazed at a group of strangers moving
about In apparent excitement on the
light-colored porphyry foothills that
lay between him and the gray, parched
flat In the deceptive distance. It was
only at long intervals during more
than a generation since the old man
bad lived alone In that cabin that any
one had disturbed his solitude, and
this sudden Invasion he resented. He
had prospected and mined In a desul
tory way for so many years unmolest
ed that he felt a sort of proprietorship
In the surrounding country.
The time was when he welcomed
his fellows to the desert domain, but
It was now long past. When he lo
cated the "Atlantic Cuble" and "Nova
Scotia" silver lode claims he felt that
his long search for riches had been
uccessful. Under the stimulus of
slons of wealth bis mind's eye saw
warms of treasure seekers burrowing
In the hills about Mm and tils own
claims yielding bonanza. Then It was
he Invited I lie whole world to share
his discovery and good fortune. How
ever, the small silver ledge attracted
little attention and the district was
deserted except for Murphy, who
worked his own vein and never guessed
the real secret of the hills over which
he prowled.
The years went by and Old Man
Murphy, growing more grizzled and
bent, became morose and cared less
and less for the society of his kind.
As a young man he had left friends
and family behind and joined the for
tune hunters In the far-off western
desert. Then he had every hope of
returning soon with wealth abundant.
His failure nailed bis pride. The
years of brooding alone created a
stranize antagonism toward contact
with his fellows.
Old Man Murphy wntched In silence
the activity on the bills below till he
saw one of the strangers coming up
the trail toward him. That was too
much. He turned into the cabin with
muttered Imprecations on the In
truders.
The stranger had tome with friendly
Intention. He told a story of a
trreat find, one that would have
thrilled the old man had he heard It
twenty years before. A shallow trench
across the peak of one of the yellow
hills had opened a vein of picture rock,
lltemllv snarkllng with crystals of
gold. Murphy merely glanced at the
glittering sample of ore offered In
proof and turned away, grumbling
about the Invasion of his district. The
next day he packed his scraggy
cayuses with provisions and dlsup
Teared In the direction of Excelsior
range where he could be alone for a
while.
Worn out with tramping about the
mountains Old Man Murphy returned
In a few weeks to his cabin on the
"Atlantic Cable." During his absence
a wonderful change bad come over the
district. All around him for miles
prospectors were locating every foot
of ground. Near the site of the orig
inal gold discovery n town to shelter
thousands was building. The explo
sion of giant-powder charges blasting
the rock In a hundred shafts and tun
nels kept up a continual roar. Miners
dodged about In the smoke and dust,
showing each other specimens of gold
besprinkled quarts. From Ills em
inence Murphy could count half a
hundred automobiles, loaded with pas
sengers, speeding In clouds of dust and
sand along the three new trails
through the sage-brush, all converging
In the new camp.
The old man contemplated the
change with heavy heart. Ills soli
tude was a thing of the past. A tres
pass he was powerless to stop was
upon him.
A monument of rough stones newly
placed on Ids claims caught his eye.
He strode over to it and read the lo
cation notice In anger. W ith a vicious
kick he tumbled the pile and tore the
notice to shreds. Returning to his
cabin, he loaded both barrels of his
shotgun ami took a position command
ing a view of the razed monument and
the two trespassing prosectors, who
were working In a newly started tun
nel, unmindful of the old man's pres
ence. "You fellers git off my claim. Don't
ye know I've had this ground fer
thirty years. Git If ye know what's
good fer ye." he shouted hoarsely,
much excited. The prospectors left
their work to face the big gun lev
eled at them. They protested, argued
aud threatened, but- Murphy's manner
was menacing and his lingers twitched
nervously on the trigger. They were
compelled to retreat.
The prospectors made several ef
forts to get possession of the clnlm
and replace their monuments, always
to be met by the big shotgun and the
old man behind It, who kept on con
stant guard duty.
When provisions ran low, rather
than lend encouragement to the boun
tifully stocked stores oT the new camp.
Murphy made a night drive to an Iso
lated trading post sow tweuty mllea
sway.
Late one afternoon Murphy sat with
the gun across his knees guarding his
claim. Away In the distance
the route of one of the new trails
there appeared a gang of workmen.
His attention was attracted by the
line of telegraph poles they were
erecting. That evening he sat long
In the darkness musing Intently, and
the next morning he put away the
gun, fastened bis cabin door, and skirt
ing the camp was soon tramping at his
best pace through the sand toward
the line of poles. He spent the day
trailing along with the construction
gang.
A new Murphy came back to the
cabin that evening.
The prospectors had taken advan
tage of his absence to replace the mon
ument he had destroyed.
"Let 'em have it. Let 'em have It,"
he mused when he saw what had been
done. He scrawled a few Hues to the
"boys," telling them they would be
bothered no more aud to go on with
their work, and placed the note where
they would easily find It.
As regularly and persistently as he
had stayed on guard duty during the
preceding days, Murphy now followed
along with the line builders, watching
every movement of the construction
work. He stepped off the distance be
tween the poles, observed the number
set each day, and In the twilight, In
his cabin, he figured the number of
days till camp would be reached. Each
evening he checked off the day's prog
ress, chuckling happily to himself If
the wol; hud gone better than usual
or feeling depressed If some accident
bad been the cause of delay.
The last strand of wire was strung.
The click of the sounder as the key
closed told the Initiated that all was
finished. The operator was taking his
place at the table when Old Man Mur
phy pushed through the crowd that
tilled the new office and leaning over
the operator uttered an appeal thut
was backed by the longing of his
whole soul.
"Boy, let me send the first one?"
"The operator stared at the flushed
face Incredulously, then Into the deep
set, now brilliant, uppeallng eyes.
Scarcely knowing why, he answered
the old man by stepping hack. Mur
phy flung himself into the operator's
seat and placed his fingers on the
transmission key. The dispatch to be
sent first lay open before him. It read :
Crosscut on Balloon hill claim
opened up four feet of high-grade as
saying Into the thousands. Withdraw
offer for sale.
With hesitation and an uncertain
"send" the old man commenced:
ROA
BU-II,B
BETTER HIGHWAYS
AID TO BUSINESS
stdckBI
PHPTI Alin OFFERS A MARKET
vi i ur-ii 11 for your PRnniirr
FORAGE CROPS ARE
SWINE NECESSITY
Portland, Oregon.
VAUDEVILLE PHOTO-PLAYS
Complete Change Saturday
Adults, Week day Matinee 20c;
Evenings, 36c. Continous 1 to 11
p. m. Children 10 cents all times
It wns not the message before him.
The operator looked worried. He
advanced one hand toward the Instru
ment to stop the old man, then as the
message became coherent he listened
intently.- The receiving operator at
the other end of the wire was puzzled
to get this message:
" will prove an additional link be
tween the nations whose friendship Is
founded upon their common Interest
and reciprocal esteem."
Now the old man's fingers were
tingling with the electric Impulse of
the instrument; as If by magic the old
touch came back. He began the trans
mission of the copy before him. It
went over the wire with the speed and
precision of an expert. He labored
under an Inward excitement a mys
tery to the onlookers. With a steudy
hand he sent dispatch after dispatch
until the accumulated pile was ex
hausted. With the last click he opened
the key and turned to the crowd,
triumph aud satisfaction lu every fea
ture of the rugged, time-worn face.
"Boys," he said, "this Is a great day
a great day fer the desert an' fer
me. How I hated to see you fellers
come but I dldu't know yer was goln'
to bring this I didn't know it. I've
been holdln' down a claim In this dis
trict fer near thirty years, boys I'm
kind o' shriveled up body an' soul,
bein' here so much alone an' I wanted
to be alone till the end," then he ad
dressed the operator.
"Ye thought somethln' was wrong
when I sent out that first message,
didn't ye? This desert has laid be
tween me an' that message fer forty
years, it's .a long time, boys, since I
was counted' one of the best operators
in the country. That was In the lute
eighties. I was so good at Opera tin'
that when the first cable was laid I
was put in th' service. That was a
great day, too, fer me, an' I relayed
that message from Queen Victoria to
the President. It was the first one
across. A few years afterward I got
th' gold fever an' I've been on the des
ert ever since, but I never forgot that
message, and I Just had to send It out
first to get my bearln s. An' to think this
thing has followed me and found me In
the desert after all these years."
The excitement thut sustained the
old men was passing.
"But now I'm glad ye come. I'm
satisfied, boys I'm satisfied.
The eyes dulled, the Hps twitched In
an effort to speak, and the head
dropped. Old Man Murphy was
seized with a paralysis a paralysis of
death.
The business value of getting peo
ple Into their stores Is appreciated by
all merchants. That Is the purpose
for which they advertise. Once a pro
spective customer Is inside a store
there Is opportunity for a sule. A mer
chant may have a good line of mer
chandise, his prices may be reason
able, and his display may be attrac
tive; but the people must be provided
with a good road to his store or they
will not come there. The residents
of a city will not make the fullest use
of their streets If they are muddy or
dusty, and themerchnnts will not en
Joy the trade they should have If their
prospective customers cannot find good
roads to their stores.
Any street In any community can be
made attractive by the simple expe
dient of paving it properly, and It Is
to the advantage of every taxpayer to
help highway officials or the town
council put through improved high
way and street improvement programs.
People who own business or residence
property are learning every day that
civic Improvements that call for the
proper paving of streets are the best
kind of Investments investments that
pay sure dividends.
The well-paved street Is worth
money to every merchant on It, as
well as being highly convenient for
shoppers. A well-paved business street
will Impel customers to the door, with
consequent Increase In business as the
opportunity is offered customers to
make their purchases without the In
convenience of muddy, dirty, dusty
pavements.
Clean, pleasant, healthful surround
ings are most desirable In nny resi
dence district. This condition Is pro
vided In a well-paved street, besides
making It safer for children as well as
for the motorist. Property values go
up where a well-paved street repluces
a rutted, Impassable thoroughfare.
Cities are judged very largely by the
attractiveness of their streets. Stran
gers looking about for locations are
quick to Judge the business and social
Standards Of the community by Its
thoroughfares, particularly the resi
dence streets. Visitors in a well-paved
city will instantly sense the progres
sive spirit of the place, they will long
remember the orderly Influence of busi
ness and residence sections, and they
will carry the story of Its clean, charm
ing streets back to their homes.
Public Improvements of any kind
cost less In the long run where they
are made as nearly permanent as pos
sible. The first cost of permanent
paving Is no more than Inefficient
types, and their maintenance Is either
minimized, or entirely eliminated.
Consequently the type that pays divi
dends to any community Is the perma
nent, durable, sanitary, fire-safe type.
Other advantages of paved streets
are found In fire and health protection.
Good paving on streets ami alleys Is
one of the prime essentials to lire pro
tection. Fire hazard is greatly re
duced If even, clean, skid-proof thor
oughfares are In every section of the
town so thut any point can be renched
quickly nnd easily by the fire depart
ment. Health Is a by-product of clean
liness. Health officers Insist that san
itation ns reflected In the conditions of
the streets and alleys has a direct
bearing upon the general health of the
city's Inhabitants. Hence, a street
that Is well paved will be easily
cleaned, and will be free from ruts
and holes thut breed filth.
Experience has shown that forage
crops are necessary for growing pigs
economically. So states William 0.
Skelley, assistant animal husbandman
at the New Jersey State College of
Agriculture, who continues:
"Pasturing on green forage saves a
great amount of feed, allows plenty of
fresh air, gives the animal exercise
and helps to keep the quarters sani
tary. "Where It thrives alfalfa makes one
of the best permanent pastures for
swine, us It can be pastured from early
spring to late summer and Is high in
protein aud mineral matter. Since
heavy pasturage Is Injurious to the
crop It Is well to restrict the number
of pigs, allowing the plant to grow and
be good for two or three cuttings of
hay.
"Bed clover also makes nn excellent
forage. Pigs should not be turned on
It until It h?.i reached a good growth,
as too early pasturing Is likely to kill
It out. It can lie pastured until it be
comes woody in the summer, when It
contains too much fiber to be taken
care of by the pig's digestive tract.
"Sweet clover Is another leguminous
forage Which should be pastured
rather closely, as this encourages new
growth ami hinders woodlness.
"Bape Is unsurpassed as an annual
forage crop for swine. It Is palatable,
succulent and high In protein and ash.
As It may be sown both early and late
In the season, forage may be provided
at any time In the summer. Pigs
should not be turned on It until it is
about ten Inches high. If rape Is nut
pastured too closely growth will con
tinue until fall.
"Field peas, gown either alone or
with oats or rape, Is a very satisfac
tory summer forage crop, as it Is n
legume ami compares with alfalfa and
clover In Its protein content.
"Bye furnishes a supply of green,
succulent feed material In the late fall
and early spring and Is therefore of
great benefit to the breeding herd
especially the brood sow nursing fall
and spring litters.
"A number of other forage crops,
such as soy beans, bluegrass and even
some weeds are relished by swine. The
point for the grower to keep in mind
is that every hit of green material con
sumed by the pig means a saving of
some grain In growing that pig for
market."
Better Franklin Service Storage and General Repairing
ANDERSON & RICE,
RRuatlway' 5709
404 Hoyt Stn-i't at Ninth
Portland, Ore
Ancient Custom, Anyway
The origin of the SU erstUlon con
cerning knocking on wood is doubtful.
Some authorities attribute it to the
ancient religious rite of touching a
crucifix when taking an oaih; others
to the touching of beads of the rosary
when praying. Among tbo ignorant
peasants of Kuropo the custom prob
ably began with the habit of knocking
loudly to keep away evil spirits.
Clir FLOWERS & FLORAL DESIGNS
Clarke Bros., Florists. 287 Morrison St
"Special Delivery."
The Post Office department says
that "special delivery service Is the
prompt delivery of mail by messenger
during prescribed hours to persons
who reside within the carrier limits of
city or delivery offices, or within ono
i mile of any posl office, or to patrons
of tho rural service who reside more
than one mile from tho post office but
within half a mile of a rural route."
We Specialize in
Hides, Pells, Wool, Mobair,
Tallow, Cascara, Oregon
Grape Root, Goat Skins,
Horse Hair
Write fur Shipping Tag's & latest Price List
Portland Hide & Wool Co.
101 UNION AVENUE NORTH, PORTLAND, 0RE00N.
Branch at Pucatello. Idaho
Earth's Diameter
Dr. Hayford made calculations for
the International Geodetic Physical
union and announced that tho earth
Is precisely 7,926 miles and 078
thousandths of a mile in diameter ami
7, 8!)!) miles and 904 thousandths of a
mile through the poles.
WHY Experiment!
Y'ars in n. tual practice in Portland
an u Spim. Insist npfcinHzintf in rheu -unities'
lu'uruiRiu. neuritis and all
Hciltl wuakiit'sm's. If help you
want, HtH-k the oldest in its work.
18
Geo. S. Breittling, D. C.
tint; Broadway Btdsfi Portland, Oregon
Save this t'iird.
Peculiar Division.
Out. of the mouths of babes anil
sucklings may be perfected definition
as well as praise. For example, there
is the case of tho teacher who, at tho
close of tho reading lesson, was ques
tioning her class on tho subject mat
ter thereof. "What is an oyster?" alio
asked, "Please, miss," replied the
bright boy of the class, "It's half a
Dadaers' Work a Menace.
liadgers spend most of the'r time
digging ut the burrows of the flick-
err.au or grounu stiuirret ami leasuiig fjsl ,lm nftjj a m,f
on the fat occupants. Thus, while do-
ing the greatest service to tho ranch
man their big burrows on the prairies
are a menace to every horse and rider
on the plains.
Sleep Machine Invented
An Inventor at .Maclesrteld, Fnglund.
has perfected a machine that, he
thinks, will cure Insomnia. The ma
chine Is placed alongside of the bed
and emits light rays of twelve differ
ent colors, flashing at prearranged pe
riods. The effect of this combination
of colors and periodicity la Intended to
lie soothing and to Induce sleep. The
color flushes at such regular Intervals
have a peculiar effect upon the retina.
It Is said. The Inventor maintains he
has cured several stubborn cases of
sleeplessness in ten to fifteen minutes.
Roadway Will Run to Old
French Fort Toulouse
I'lnns are under way for the build
ing of a hlghwuy to the old Preach
Fort Toulouse, which wus an Indian
town nearly 400 years ago.
Fort Toulouse Is In Klmore county,
neur Montgomery, Ala., a short dis
tance from one of the principal high
ways leading Into the city, anil It Is
the Intention of historical experts to
make this point available to tourists.
The plan was launched by I'cter A.
Brannon, curator of the Alabama De
partment of Archives and History. It
was only recently that a marker was
placed at old Pole Cat Springs, 30
miles from Montgomery, where Lafay
ette spent the night on Ids way to
Montgomery.
Fort Toulouse Is rich In history. A
granite shaft has been placed there
to commemorate the old French out
post of 1714, which Is a miniature rep
lica of the shuft erected to General
Montgomery on the plains of Abraham,
at Quebec. The old French cemetery
Is at Fort Toulouse, and here some
of Jackson's men were burled, the
place becoming known as Fort Jack
son. The treaty of 1K14 by which the
Indians ceded all their lands south
of Fort Jackson to the United States
was signed there.
Alfalfa Versus Clover
for Pasture for Swine
Alfalfa excelled red clover as a pas
tare for hogs in recent comparisons
made at the Indiana station. Alfalfa
proved capable of carrying more hojs
per acre than clover and produced
slightly larger gains with less corn
thau was required on clover pasture.
The showing of clover pasture, how
ever, was very satisfactory. The tun
pastures carried 18 to "0 spring plga
to the acre when the pigs were full
fed nnd about seven pigs when limited
grain feeding was practiced.
In one test pigs were fed a limited
ration of two pounds of grain daily
for each 100 pounds live weight. Part
of the plfg grazed alfalfa and part
clover pasture. (Julus made by the
two lots were practically Identical, hut
the pigs on alfalfa required only 249
pounds of corn per lit) pounds of gain,
compared to 206 pounds for the pigs
on clover pasture.
In a comparison of pigs which were
full-fed corn and tankage on the two
pastures the pigs on alfalfa outgulncd
those on clover by a slight margin
antl required five pound less corn anil
four and one half pounds less tankage
than the pigs w hich ran mi clover pasture.
Engineering Term.
The term "four-cycle," used In con
nection with an internal combustion
engine, means that there are four pis
ton strokes for the accomplishment of
the processes in the engine. TheBo
strokes are termed tho intake stroke,
the compression stroke, tho power
stroke and tho exhaust stroke.
Pioneer Greek Teacher.
Tho first regular teacher of the
(reek language and literature at Ox
ford university, Knglaud, wus William
Orocyn, an English classical scholar,
who was born at Colerne, Wiltshire,
about 1440. Ho died at Maidstone, in
1519.
Menhaden Fish Defended.
Menhaden fish, the oil from which
has many commercial uses, is also an
excellent footl fish thou, h BS vol un
popular because of Its t 'eat number
of bones. Food experts, however, are
overcoming this by grinding the fish,
bones aud till, so us to make a fish
meal or powder, in which form it can
be converted into cakes and eaten
easily.
Tree Hides Weapons.
A revolver and a steel trap wero
found Inside a tree when it was tut.
down near Norborne, Mil., recently.
The weapons evidently bail been
placed al the bftse of the tree
ago anil it grew around them.
years
Original "Mother Goose."
The first Mother (loose stories were
published in French by I'errault in
1097, under tho name of his lnfaut
son, Perraut d'Arman court. These
tales consisted of ten stories, of which
seven are founded on earlier Italian
tales.
Perfect Accord.
"Do you let your wife have her own
way?" asked tho henpecked huabantl.
"Absolutely," replied the independent
one. "When she sayH It's going lo
rain I let It rain, and when she says
she just knows It's feoiiB to snow, I
let it snow."
Exercise for Stallions
Stallions should have a liberal amount
of exercise during the breeding sea
Son, especially during the last half.
They should have the equivalent 'if
eight or ten miles a day on the read
This exercise should be given early
in the morning. Nothing will pay bet
ter In the management of a public
service stallion than this kind of c
erclse.
I I I I l-H-H )! I-I-I-I ! I I -M H--M-1-
Live Stock Notes
1 1 i i 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 i i i : i i -h
New Jersey Roads
With the completion of Irs construc
tion program for this year, the New
Jersey state highway commission will
have added 100 miles of Improved
roads to the state's system. The
board has now under contract 06 miles
to be paved this summer and awards
of work to be made shortly will In
crease this total to 100.
New Jersey now has 8)0 miles of
state highway rentes and 41M of these
miles have been completed with a
bard-surfaced puteiuent.
Use pure-bred sires for more ami
better meat, milk, wool and eggs.
Corn and cob meal Is not consl ti
ered u good horse feed. Horses will
do better ou a mixture of corn and
bran.
Nature's tonics for young pig" are
exercise, sunshine, plenty of green,
succulent teed, plenty of good water,
uml clean aurrouudlnira.
Cull all undeveloped pullets anil old
hns from the flock.
Farly hatched pullets will molt early
In the full antl be ready for laying ttexl
winter at a season when egg produc
tion Is low and prices high
It has been shown thut young chick
are most susceptible to Infestation of
roundworms until about 12 weeks of
age. With severe lnfestullun death
may occur In two weeks In mild In
festatloits chicks live, but growth Is
slower end resistance to disease less.
Clouds Close to Earth.
The highest clouds in tho sky gen
rally are not more than two miles
ibove the surface of tho earth.
Plant Stimulation.
Nitrate of soda is gootl for plants
ami flowers if used in moderation. It
Increase's the vegetable growth, stimu
lating the foliage rather than the flow
ers. Too much will prove injurious.
Nature's Peculiarities.
Many a man thinks admirably wi ll
who has a poor Utterance, while oth
er's have a charming manner of speech
but their thoughts are trifling.
Tribute to Faith.
Faith Is I he great elevator of Char
acter, anil has a wonderful Influence
ou the Ideals, it lifts us lo the heights
anil gives us glimpses of tho prom
ised html. II is tho "light of truth
ami wisdom." Orison Swett Murdou.
Rats with Rabbits.
Itats, both bfOWB Sad gray, have
been found living with rabbits in their
holes by a rat catcher in Lincolnshire,
i England.
Bread Winning.
An economist announces that the
number of women bread winners Is
growing constantly. No doubt there
are more winning It thnn thero urc
baking it. Detroit Freo PrOSS.
Sage Observation.
The Child who Is decked with
prince's robes and who has Jeweled
chains around his neck loses all pleas
ure in his play; his dross hampers
him at every step.- -Tugore.
Ourselves to Blame.
It many times falls out that we
deem ourselves much deceived In oth
ers because wo first deceived ourselves.
Facial Surgery Old.
Facial surgery, Including tho re
modeling of Injured noses, ears ami
lips, was known in Italy as long ago
as 1 540.
"The Shallows Murmur.''
The smaller tho caliber of mind, I ho
greater the bore of s perpetually open
nioulh. Oliver Wendell Molt i.
Insect Pests Costly.
The losses caused annually by In
sert pests In the United States aro
estimated by entomological authori
ties to reach the sum u, 2 '100,000,000.
You Want a Good Position
Very well Take th Accountancy and
fiualnesa Management, Print Sacratarl
aj, Calculator, Comptometer, tit anus ra
id'. I-. I'uninJirixlilp, ur CominraJ Taaoa
rtr Cours at
Behnke-Walker
Ths foremoM Buslnaaa Collect of tha
Northwest which has won mora Accuracy
Awards and Gold Medals than any sthar
thool In America. Bend for our Huoraas
Catalog-. Fourth Street near Morrlawj,
p,,tii.,r.d i ' M Walker PTea
P. N. U No. 32, 1925
Excellent Advice.
Speak little and well, If you wish
to be considered ns possessing merit.
From tint French.
She Knewl
Woman (at Wlllesdan) No matter
how you listen lu our flat you cannot
hear what the people Bay In the next
flat. I know. Tit-lilts.
Rather Exclusive.
Wisdom will not die wllh tho peo
ple, and it Is evident that it objects
to living with lots of 'em. Atlanta
Constitution.
Indian women climb the highest hill
top at night to wull for tho dead.
New Fluff Rugs
Miul From Old Carpets "Wear Lilte
Iron"
Deal Direct with the Manufacturer. Abtaituta
nil- f n r . ' GuaranUwd. u I iu Your Ma
terial or Write for 1'ricea.
WEHTEKN VUVFV HUG ( OMI'ANY.
Union Avenue Nor. Portland, Oregon