PAGE SIX
THE SPRINGFIELD NEWS
Tl& ROBERT J. C
mm mm mm STEAD
Homesteader -
AwTHmr 0t "T Com
Copyright. All Right Reserve PwwW "
CHAPTER VIII Continued.
13 .
"1 have tried." sold Harris, "and Iff
no use. She's cot those notions like
Beulah julttln work, and twilights
and sunsets and all that kind o'
thins. There's no use talkln' with her
reason don't count for anything.
care her a good pocketful o money,
and told her to write for more when
she needed It. Shell get over her no
tions pretty soon when she gets among
strangers. Go In and have a talk with
her, boy; there's no use you betn at
outs with her, too. As for me, I can't
do anything more,"
"I suppose you know best," he an
swered, "but It seems hang It, It's
against all reason that you two that
this should happen."
"Of course It Is. That's what I said
a minute ago. Dut reason don't count
Just now. But you have your talk
with her, and give her any help you
can if she wants t' get away at once."
Allan found his mother In her room,
packing a trunk and gently weeping
into It. lie laid his hand upon her.
and presently he found Jier work-worn
irame resting in ins strong arms.
"You're not going to leave us. moth
er, are you?" he said. "You wouldn't
do that?"
"Not If It could be helped. Allan,
But there Is no help. Your father has
set his heart on more land, and more
work, and giving up this home, and I
might as well co first as last. More
and more he Is giving his love to work
instead of to his family. Perhaps when
I am away for a while he'll come to
himself. That's our only hope."
The boy stood helpless In this con
filet I on. lie knew something ci the
depth of the nature of bis parents, and
be knew that beneath an undemonstra
tive exterior they cherished In secret a
love proportionate to the strength of
their character. But the long course
down which they had walked together
seemed now to be separating, through
neither will nor power of their own ; It
was as though straight parallel lines
Buddenly turned apart, and neither
lost its stralghtness In the turning.
So he comforted his mother with
such words as he could. Loyalty to
his father forbade laying any of the
blame on those shoulders, and to
blame his mother was unthinkable; so
with uuconsclous wisdom he spoke not
of blame at alL
"Of course, while we are away, why
shouldn't you have a visit?" he said.
"Here you have been chained down to
this farm ever since I can remember,
and before. And then, when I get set
tled on my own homestead, you'll come
VC1
"You're Not Going to Leave Us, Moth
er. Are You?"
and keep house for me, won't you?"
"You're sure you'll want me?" she
asked, greatly comforted by his mood.
"Perhaps you'll be getting your own
housekeeper, too."
"Not while I can have you," be an
swered. "You'll promise, won't you?
Nothing that has happened, or can
-happen, will keep you from making
my home yours, will It? And when
Dad gets settled again, and gets all
these worries off his mind, then
thlngs'U be different, and you'll come,
even If be is there?"
"Yes, I'll come, even If he is there,
If you osk me," she promised.
Harris did not come back that night.
4 light rain came up, and he accepted
the excuse to sleep at lilies'. .The
truth was, he feared for his resolution
If It should be attacked by both his
wife and son. Surrender now would
be mere weakness, and weakness was
disgrace, and yet he feared for himself
If put to the test again. So he stayed
at Riles', and the two farmers spent
much of the night over their plans. It
had been decided that they were to
leave within the next couple of days,
but Harris broke the news that his
wife was going on a visit, and that ar
rangements would have to be made for
the care of the farm.
Riles took the suggestion of a few
days' delay with poor grace.
"Yes, an while you're chasing up an
down fer a housekeeper the Yankees
get all the homesteads. They're cora
In' In right now by the train load.
grabbln up everythln" In sight. We'll
monkey round here till the summer's
over, an' then go out an' get a sand
farm, or something like. Couldu't your
wife do her vlsltln' no other time?"
"I'll tell you. Riles," said Harris,
who had no desire to pursue a topic
which might lead him Into deep water,
"you go ahead out and get the lay of
the land, end I II follow you within a
week. I'll do that, for sure, and I'll
stand part of your expenses for going
ahead, seeln' you will be kind o repre-
sentln' me."
The last touch was a stroke of diplo
macy. The suggestion that Harris
should pay part of his expenses swept
away Itiles bad humor, and he agreed
to go on the date originally planned,
and get what he, called "a bede on the
easy money," while Harris completed
his arrangements at home.
He was to get "a bede on the easy
money" In a manner which Harris lit
tle suspected.
When Harris returned home the
next forenoon he found that Mary had
already left for Plalnvllle, He sat
down and tried to think, but flie house
was very quiet, and the silence op
pressed him. ne looked at his
watch, and concluded he had still
time to reach Plalnvllle before the
train would leave. But that would
mean surrender, and surrender "meant
weakness.
CHAPTER IX.
A Whiff of New Atmosphere.
Riles found the Journey westward a
tiresome affair. It was his first long
rail Journey In over 20 years, but his
thoughts were on the cost of travel
rather than on the wonderful strides
which had been made In Its comfort
and convenience.
As fate would have It, Riles selected
as the base of his homestead opera
tions the very foothill town to which
Beulah Harris had come a few weeks
before. He sought out the cheapest
hotel, and having thrown his few be
longings on the bed, betook himself to
tLe bar room, which seemed the chief
center of activity, not only of the ho
tel Itself, but of the little town. Men
were lined three deep against the ca
pacious bar, shouting, swearing, and
singing, and spending their money with
an abandon not to be found In mil
lionaires. Riles debated with himself whether
the occasion Justified the expenditure
of 10 cents for a drink when a hand
was placed on his shoulder, and a
voice said, "Have one with me, neigh
bor." He found himself addressed by
a man of about his own age, shorter
and somewhat lighter of frame and
with a growing hint of corpulence.
The stranger wore a good pepper-and-
salt suit, and the stone on his finger
danced like a real diamond.
"Don't mind If I do, since y' mention
It," said Riles, with an attempted smile
which his bad eye rendered futile. One
of the bartenders put something In
bis glass which cut all the way down,
but Riles speedily forgot It In a more
exciting Incident The man In the
pepper-and-salt suit had laid half a
dollar on the bar, and no change came
back. Riles Congratulated himself on
his own narrow escape.
"You'll be looking for land?" In
quired the stranger, when both were
breathing easily again.
"Well, maybe I am, and maybe I
ain't," said Riles guardedly. He had
heard something of the ways of confi
dence men and was determined not to
be taken for an easy mark.
"A man of some Judgment I see,"
said his new acquaintance, quite un
abashed. "Well, 1 don't blame you for
keeping your own counsel. The rush
of people and money Into the West has
brought all kinds of floaters In Its
rain. Why" with growing confidence
"the other night "
What happened the other night re
mained untold, for at that moment
came a cluttering of horse's hoofs on
the wooden walk at the door, and a
moment Inter a gayly arrayed cowboy
rode right Into the room, his horse
prancing and bodying from side to side
to clear the crowd away, then facing
up to the bar as though It were his
manger. Riles expected trouble, and
was surprised when the feat evoked a
cheer from the bystanders.
"That's Horseback George." said the
man In the pepper-and-salt "They
say ho sleeps on his horse. Rides
right Into a bar as a matter of course,
and maybe shoots a few bottles off the
shelves as a demonstration before he
goes out But he always settles, and
nobody minds his little peculiarities."
Horseback George treated himself
twice, proffering each glass to his
horse before touching It himself, and
stroking with one hand the animal's
ears as he raised the liquor to his lips.
Then he threw a bill at the bar tender
Well, If It Ain't Gardlnerl" He Ex
claimed. and, with a wild whoop, slapped the
horse's legs with his hat, and dashed
at a gullop out of the bar room and
away down the trail.
Riles betook himself to his room, ne
had Just got Into bed when a knock
came at the door.
"Who's there?" he demanded.
"GcnTman to see Mr. Riles," said
the porter.
"Well, shoot Mm In. The door ain't
locked," suld Riles. In considerable
wonderment us to who his visitor
might be.
The door opened, and a well-dressed
man of uveruge height with carefully
combed ' liulr and clean-shaven face,
save for a light mustache, stood re
vealed in the uncertain glow of the
match with which Riles was endeavor
ing to find his lamp. His visitor was a
man of twenty-eight or thirty years,
with clear eyes and well-cut face, and
yet with some subtle quality In his ex
pression that Implied that under his
fair exterior lay a deep cunning, and
that he was a man not to be trusted
In matters where bis own Interests
might be at stake.
LONG LOST USE OF WINGS
Ground Parrot Found Only In New
Zealand, Interesting to the Stu
dent of Evolution.
The wingless birds of New Zealand
are particularly Interesting to the na
ture student us Illustrating the process
of evolution. Nowhere but In their
native land could these birds have
survived, pnd, therefore, nowhere else
would they have become wingless.
New Zealand is the only region on
earth where there are no destructive
animals. Being unable to fly, the birds
could not, of course, have escaped
from uny swift bunting animals such
as abound In all other lands. It Is In
teresting to note that the kaknpo, or
ground parrot, once had the use of Its
wings, but being a grass seed feeder
and finding no enemies on the ground
gradually ceased to fly and eventually
lost the use of Its wings entirely,
though it can run very swiftly. These
birds are so gentle and so unconscious
of having uny enemies that If a per
son sits down near one and keeps qui
et It will presently tuck lis head un
der Its wing und go to sleep. The
kakapo breeds but once in two years,
Hello. Illratn," ho said quietly
"You didn't figure on seeing me here.
did you?"
At first glance Riles did not recog
nine hi m, and he ruined the oil lump
to turn the light better on the Strang
er'e face.
"Well. If It ain't Gardiner I" he ex
claimed. "Where In Sain Hill did you
come from?"
"It's a big country, Hiram," he said
with a touch of bitterness, "but not
big enough for a fellow to lo-e himself
In." He snt down on the side of the
bed and lit a cigar, tendering another
to Riles, and the two men puffed In
silence for a few minutes.
"Yes, I've hit a lot of trail since I
saw you last," he continued, "and
when you're In the shadow of the
Rockies you're a long piece from Plato
vllle. How's the old burg? Dead as
ever?"
"About the same," said Riles. "You
don't seem t' bo wustln' no love on It."
"Nothing to speak of," sold the oth
er, slowly flicking the ash from his
cigar. "Nothing to speak of. You
know I got a raw deal there, Hiram,
and It ain't likely I'd get enthusiastic
over It"
"Well, when a fellow gets up against
the low an' has t' clear out." said
Riles, with great candor, "that's his fu
neraL As for me, I ain't got nothtn'
agen Plnlnvllle. You made a little
money there yourself, didn't you?"
The younger mun leaned back and
slowly puffed circles of fragraut smoke
at the celling, while Riles surveyed
him from the head of the bed. He had
been a business man In Plalnvllle. but
bnd become Involved "in a theft case,
and had managed to escape from the
town simply because a fellow man
whom ho hnd wronged did not trouble
to press the matter against hi in.
Gardiner showed no disposition to
reopen the conversation about Plain
vllle, so at last Riles asked, "How
d'you know I was here?"
"Saw your scrawl on the register,"
he said, "and I've seen It too often on
wheat tickets to forget It Thought
I'd look you tip. Mm) be can be of
some service to you here. What are
you chasing more land?"
"Well, I won't any that, exactly, but
I kind o' thought I'd come out and look
over some of this stuff the gover.
merit's glvin away, before the furrl
ners gets It all. Guess If there's any
thin' free goln' us men that pioneered
one provlnco should get It on the
next"
(TO DE CONTINUED.)
HER IDEA OF LUXURIES
Middle-Aged Negress Tells Mistress
How She Will Spend 1600 Int'jrsnce
Left by Her Husband.
A middle-aged negro woman of
Richmond was left some $000 Insur
ance by her husband, and shortly aft
erward, when asked by tho lady for
whom she had cooked for many years
what she Intended to do with ber
money, declared that she meant to
spend It on luxuries.
"Yo see, Miss Mary, Ah done wurk
hard all mah Ufe, an' ain't had nuffln'
but des needcessltles, an' Ah's gwlne
blow In dls money," she explained.
"How are you going to spend It,
Mandy7"
"Ah Is gwlne buy me a phoneygraf,
an' two silk dresses, an' a dlmont
ring, an marry Jack Thompson,"
Mandy declared happily.
"Marry Jack Thompson? Why,
Mandy, he Is nothing but a worthless
loafer, a dressed-up dude who tries to
be a 'sport I "
"Yassum, Ah knows dot," Mandy
agreed, "but. lack Ah said, Ah wants
some luxuries. My ole man was a
good nigger, but he sho was sorry to
look at. Now, dls Jack Thompson, he
gwlne be Jest plumb ornamental, set
tin' round de house all day."
The Proof.
"Is he a sound sleeper?"
"Sound. Is he? You can bear him
all over the house."
and the mother bird carefully hides
the nest from her mate, though why
she does so Is unknown, the male
showing no t'eslre to harm the eggs or
young birds.- In this Infrequent breed
ing Is demonstrated nature's thought
fulness having no destructive ene
mles the kaknpo would multiply to too
great numbers If the breeding season
occurred as frequently as with other
birds.
New England Colloquialism.
A colloquialism In frequent use, not
only In rural communities, but In New
England generally, Is "at that" It Is
employed to express merit where none
might be presumed, as "he's lory, but
a decent chap 'at that' " "IJe'a up and
coming" Is an expression familiar to
every New Englander, and Its meaning
Is synonymous with the rustic's, "head
up and tall over the dasher."
Lloyd's Is World Famous.
Lloyd's Is probably one of the most
famous British Institutions and Is
known throughout the world. It Is as
sociated In the minds of most peoplo
with the Insurance of ships and car
goes and with occasional freuk pol
icies, which ore In the form almost of
bets or wagers.
HEALTHY CHILDREN mm
J Hri'i modern. A nil
I v ,rr,f ,.,,r
it r- it 1 1 it y
they'll ttko
Dr. rirrco'
Favorite rrcucrintion. Nothing;
equals it in buiUling up a wnrmm m
strength, in regulating and (twist
ing her natural function, and in
putting In perfect order lier y
tcra. It IcHncn.1 tho pain and
burden, support and strengthen
Weak women. .
It's an invigorating, restorative
ionic, a soothing and bracing
ncrvino that ha leen favorably
known for tho inwt fifty years.
It contain no alcohol.
Tornado Fella Resort
Houston, Tex. A tornado which
was reported to have swept up from
the coast and move eastward struck La
Porte, near her Monday night, ser
iously Injuring two persons, wiped out
a summer resort near La Ports and
caused property damage of thousands
of dollars. . All wires were down.
Boring a Hole In Glass.
A holo can be cut In glass satisfac
torily with a file, provided the edge
have been rounded. The glass can bo
prevented from breaking during tho
process by mixing ono part camphor.
one part other and one part turpentine
and applying tho mixture to the place
whore tho holo Is being bored.
Critical Month for Uncle Ex.
March Is recognized as a rather try
ing month a dangerous month be-
causo weather conditions tempt peo
ple to certain Indiscretions. The phil
osophic old darkey realized this when
he observed: "Ah notice dat when
Ah lib trough de month o' March, Ah
mos' alwaya lib trough de wholo year."
Shave With Cutlcura 8oap
And double your' razor efficiency a
well as promote skin purity, akin com
fort and skin health. No mug. no
slimy soap, no germs, no waste, no
Irritation even when ahaved twice
dally. One soap for all uses tdiavlng,
bathing and shampooing. Adv.
Highway to Peace.
Let's tako hold of hands now, and
promlso 'each other that, come what
may, we will never have tho blues, nor
abuse the man who docs not see things
Just as we do. Right here Is tba high
way to a peace of mind that nothing
can take away from us. Farm Life.
Watching the Boss.
Employer "Young man, It will pay
you to keep your eyes open whllo you
are In this office." Office Roy "Yes,
sir; that's just what your wlfo told mo
when she came In this morning, and
saw what a pretty stenographer you
had." Uoston Transcript
Plants Grow Best Transplanted.
Plants do not always select the most
congenial habitat, for It has been
found that some specimens found
growing modestly on the mountain top
flourish to a marked extent when
transplanted at the sea level.
Cancel Our Tlcketa, Too.
A scientist states that if wo were
to visit the moon wo should bo either
scorched during tho' day or' frozen to
death at night That aettles it. Wo
shall not visit the moon. London
Punch.
A Skeptic.
One reason why we don't accept the
theory of gravitation Is because when
the bottom drops out we hit the
celling.
A paradox ot the picture theater Is
the fact that single folks won't take
single seats, but married folks will!
film Fun.
Australia Rich In Forests.
Australia has hundreds of thousands
of acres of virgin forests.
Gulicura Soap
Tho Safety Razor
Shaving Soap
Cutlrur Ho.p.ha.a arllliutmu. Errhn
Are You Satisfied? g&K,w&tEcr
la the blRKeirt, moat perfectly equipped
HuNlness Training Hchoul In the North
whC Kit yourself for a higher poHltlon
with more money. Permanent noaiUana
mired our Graduates.
write tbr caUlo fourth and Yamhill,
Portland.
P. N. N.
No. 21, 1121
4, '
1