Heppner herald., December 11, 1923, Page PAGE THREE, Image 3

PAGE THREE 1
Tuesday, December 1 1, 1923
THE HEPPNER HERALD, HEPPNER, OREGON
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Herbert hiick
SYNOPS1S
CHAPTTCR I. Jennie Woodruff con
temptuously refuses to marry Jim Ir
win, young farm lianil, because of his
financial condition and poor prospectd.
He is intellectually above his station,
and has advanced ideas concerning the
possibilities of expert school teaching,
lor which he is ridiculed by many.
CHAPTER II. More as a joke than
otherwise Jim is selected as teacher of
the Woodruff district school.
j i CHAPTER III
What Is a Brown Mouse?
Immediately upon the accidental
election of Jim Irwin to the position
of teacher of the Woodruff school, he
developed habits somewhat like a
ghost's or a bandit's. That is, he
walked of nights and on rainy days.
On fine days, he worked in Colonel
Woodruff's fields as of yore. Jim's
salary was to be just $300 for nine
months' work in the Woodruff school,
and he was to find himself and his
mother. Therefore, he" had to indulge
in his loose habits of night walking
and roaming about after hours only,
or on holidays and in foul weather.
The Simms family, being from the
"mountings" of Tennessee, were rather
startled one night, when Jim Irwin,
homely, stooped and errandless, si
lently appeared in their family circle
about the front door. They had lived
where it was the custom to give a
whoop from the big road before one
passed through the palin's and up to
the house. Otherwise, how was one
to know whether the visitor was
friend or foe?
From force of habit, Old Man Simms
started for his gun-rack at Jim's ap-
Old Man Simms Started for His Gun.
pearance, but the Lincolnian smile and
the low slow speech, so much like his
own in some respects, ended that.
"Stranger," said Mr. Simms, after
greetings hud been exchanged, "you're
' rigtit welcome, but in my kentry you'd
find it dangersome to walk in thisa
way." "How so?" queried Jim Irwin.
"You'd mnre'n likely git shot up
some," replied Mr. Simms, "unless
you whooped from the big road."
"I didn't know that," replied Jim.
"I'm ignorant of the customs of other
countries. Would you rather I'd
whoop from the big road nobody
else will.'1
"I reckon," replied Mr. Simms,
"that we-all will have to accommodate
ourse'ves to the ways hyeh."
Evidently Jim was the Simms' first
caller since they had settled on the
little brushy tract whose hills and
trees reminded them of ttieir moun
tains. Low hills, to be sure, with only
a footing of rocks where the creek
had cut through, and not many trees,
but down in the creek bed, with the
oaks, elms end box-elders arching
overhead, the Simmses could imagine
themselves beside some run falling
into the French Broad, or the Holston.
The creek bed was a withdrawing
room In which to retire from the
eternal black aoll and level cornfields
of Iowa.
The soil was o poor, In compari
son with those black uplands, that the
owner of the old wood-lot could find
no renter but It was better than the
soil In the mountains, and suited the
lonesome Simmses much more than a
better farm would have done. They
were not of the Iowa people anyhow,
not understood, not their equals they
were "pore," and expected to stay
pore" while the Iowa people all
seemed to be either well-to-do, or ex
nectinz to become so.
Jim Irwin asked Old Man Simms
about the fishing in the creek, and
whether there was any duck shooting
spring and fall.
"We git right smart of these little
panfish," said Mr. Simms, "an" Calista
done shot two hutterba.ll ducks ubout
'tatar-plantin' time."
Cali'ta blushed but this stranger,
o much like themselves, could net see
the rosv suffusion. The allusion gave
him a chance to look about h!m at the
family. There was a boy of sixteen,
a jrlrl the duck-shooting Calista
younger than ltaxiaatd ft- EllL- ol
eleven, named .Virginia, but called
jinnle and a smaller lad who re
joiced in the name of MoGeehee, but
was mercifully called Buddy.
Calista .squirmed for something to
say. "Raymond runs a line o' traps
when the fur's prime," she volun
teered. Then came a long talk on traps and
trapping, shooting, hunting and the
joys of the mountings during which
Jim noted the ignorance and poverty
of the Simmses. The clothing of the
girls was not decent according to local
standards; for while Calista wore a
skirt hurriedly slipped on, Jim was
quite sure and not without evidence
to support his views that she had
been wearing when lie arrived the
same regimentals now displayed by
Jinnie a pair of ragged blue overalls.
Evidently the Simmses were wearing
what they had and not what they de
sired. The father was faded, patched,
gray and earthy, and the boys looked
better than the rest solely because we
expect boys to be torn and patched.
Mrs. Simms was invisible except as a
gray blur beyond the rain-barrel, in
the midst of which her pipe glowed
with a regular ebb and How of embers.
On the next rainy day Jim called
again and secured the services of Ray
mond to help him select seed corn. He
was going to teach the school next
winter, and he wanted to have a seed-
corn frolic the first day, instead of
waiting until the last and you had to
get seed corn while it was on the stalk,
if you got the best.
I No Simms could refuse a favor to
the fellow w-ho was so much like them
selves, and who was so greatly inter-
, ested in trapping, hunting and the
i Tennessee mountains so Iiaymond
; went with Jim, and with Newt Bron
' son and five more they selected Colo-
: nel Woodruff's seed corn for the next
year, under the colonels personal
superintendence.
In the evening they looked the grain
over on the Woodruff lawn, and the
colonel talked ubout corn and corn se
lection. They had supper at half past
six, and Jennie waited on them hav
ing assisted her mother in the cook
ing. It was quite a festival.
Jim Irwin was the least conspicuous
person in the gathering, but the colo
nel, who was a seasoned politician,
observed that the farm-hand had be
come a fisher of men, and was angling
for the souls of these boys, and their
interest in the school. Jim was care
ful not to flush the covey, but every
boy received from the next winter's
teacher some confidential hint as to
plans, and some suggestion that Jim
was relying on the aid and comfort of
that particular boy. ,
Newt Bronson, especially, was
leaned on as a strong staff and a very
present help In time of trouble. As
for Raymond Simms, It was clearly
best to leave him alone. All this talk
of corn selection and related things
was new to him, and he drank it In
thirstily. He had an inestimable ad
vantage over Newt in that he was
starved, while Newt was surfeited
with "advantages" for which he hud
no use.
"Jennie," said Colonel Woodruff,
after the party had broken up, "I'm
losing the best hand I ever had, and
I've been sorry."
"I'm glad he's leaving you," said
Jennie. "He ought to do something ex
cept work in the field for wages."
"I've had no Idea he could make
good as a teacher and what Is there
in it if he does?"
"What has he lost if he doesn't?"
rejoined Jennie. "And why can't he
make good?" .
"The school board's against him, for
one thing," replied the colonel. "They'll
fire him if they get a chance. They're
the laughing-stock of the country for
hiring him by mistake, and they're ir
ritated. But after seeing him perform
tonight, I wonder If he can't make
good."
"If he could feel like anything but
an underling, he'd succeed," snld Jennie.
"That's his heredity," stated the
colonel, whose live stock operations
and bit arid gnawed and raised hot). It
was what we breeders call a Mende
llan segregation of genetic factors that
had been In the waltzers and albinos
all the time their original wild an
cestor of the woods and fields. If
Jim turns out to be a brown mouse,
he may be a bigger man than any of
us. Anyhow, I'm for him."
"He'll have to be a big man to make
anything out of the job of a country
school teacher," said Jennie.
".Any job's as big as the man who
holds "it down," said her father.
Next day Jim received a letter from
Jennie.
"Dear Jim," it ran. '"Father says
vou are sure to have a hard time the
school board's against you, and all
that. But he added 'I'm for Jim, any
how !' I thought you d like to Know
this. Also he said, 'Any job's as big
as the man who holds it down.' And
I believe tlits also, and I'm for you,
too! You are doing wonders even Be
fore the school starts in getting the
pupils interested in a lot of tilings,
which, while they don't belong to
school work, will make them friends
of yours. I don't see how this will
help you much, but It's a fine thing,
and shows your interest in them.
Don't be too original. The wheel runs
easiest in the beaten track. Yours,
Jennie."
Jennie's caution made no impression
on Jim but he put the letter away,
and every evening took it out and read
the words, "I'm for you, tool" The
colonel's dictum, "Any job's as big as
the man who holds it down," was an
Emersonian truism to Jim. It reduced
all jobs to iin equality, and It meant
equality in intellectual and spiritual
development. It didn't mean, for in
stance, that any job was as good as
another in making It possible for a
man to marry and Jennie Woodruff's
"Humph!" returned to kill and drag
off her "I'm for youu too !"
(To be continued)
MARY GRAHAM BONNER.
BIRDS TALK
"So we can hear of some of the
other birds in the world besides those
we see I'm going to tell you of still
another Bird Talk they had in the zoo
when they told each other who they
were and some of their family ways.
"I think," Daddy continued, "that it
is nice to hear of different birds
around different parts of the world
just as it is nice to know of different
people and of foreign lands and of in-teres-ting
places.
"So I will tell you of some more of
the birds' own stories about them
selves, "'I,' said the Grass Finch, 'come
from Australia. There I am a very
popular cage bird. I am very, very
small anil dainty.
" 'We din not mind if we have very
small quarters, and we do not mind if
the little hirdlings share the smallest
of quarters with us.
" 'I mean by quarters the same as
any one would mean by speaking of
their home. I do not mean money,
of course you understand!
"Well, I have a gray head and I
have a black throat and a ljlnck tall.
The rest of my feathers are a mix
ture of tan and red and a dull yel
low.' " 'My name,' said another bird, 'is
the liiack-Cheeked Love Bird, and I
1ERHUME DOG DIES HERO
Pet of Author Loses Life to Save That
of Tramp Canine From
a Train's Onrush.
Many of the heroes of the stories of
Albert Payson Terhune, author of "The
Comedy Kid," says the Designer, have
been dogs Scotch collies. You will
remember Lad, and his harum-scarum
son, Wolf Wolf of the understanding
eyes. Wolf Is dead. He died like a
thoroughbred. From the Terhune
home town In New Jersey comes this
story :
"Wolf had constituted himself ward
er of the Terhune lawns and custo
dian of the driveways. When motor
ing parties came In and endangered the
lives of the puppies playing about the
driveways, Wolf, at the first sound ol
the motor, would dash importantly
down Into the drive and every puppy
would scurry out of harm's way.
"Every evening it was the habit or.
Wolf to saunter off on a long waiK.
The exercise, it seems, prepared Wolf
for sleep. One night recently Wolf
nmbled away and
'Down In the darkness at the rail
road station some of the folks were
waiting to see the Stroudsburg express
flash by. It was a few minutes late.
A nondescript dog, with a mmteu,
homeless droop to his tall, trotted on
to the tracks. Far down the line tnere
came the warning screech of the ex
press. The canine tramp didn't pay
anv attention to it.
"The headllcht of the express snot a
beam glistening along the rails. Wolf
saw the dog and the danger. With a
bark and a snap the son of Lad drove
the stranger to safety. The express
was whistling for a crossing far past
the station when they picked up what
was Wolf and started for the Terhune
home."
Where the Sun Shines
Most of the Time !
and the very air seems to dispel worrjjj
and tone up the nerves.
One can pick oranires, elimb moruv
tains, dance at fine hotels, bathe in'
the ocean, visit old missions and playf
golf all in one day, if desired; or
every day for months and each day
something new.
4000 Miles of Paved Highways;
The most wonderful system ofj
hotels, apartment houses, cottages
bungalows and suites for the accom-j
modation of tourists in all the world
and costs reasonable. 1
f I
Representatives of tho ,
UNION PACIFIC SYSTEM
will gladly furnish Illustrated booklets giving
comnit'tts imorm.'ition about tne Riorums play
ground ot the' West. Ix't them toll all about
hotel rutua, railroad tarea, through car aervio,,
C. PARIIKE, Agent
Heppner, Ore.
McMVKRAY, General Tassengcr Agent
Portland, Oregon
were based on heredity. "Jim s a
scrub, I suppose; but he acts as If he
might turn out to be a Brown Mouse.
"What do you mean, pa," scoffed
Jennie "a Brown Mouse !"
"A fellow in Edinburgh," said the
colonel, "crossed the Japanese waltz
ing mouse with the common white
mouse. Jim's peddling father was a
waltzing, mouse, no gor.d except to
jump from one spot to another for no
good reason. Jim's mother is an al
bino of a woman, with all the color
washed out In one way or another.
Jim ought to be a mongrel, and I've
always considered him one. Hut the
Edinburgh fellow every once in a
while got out of his variously-colored,
waltzing and albino hybrids, a brown
mouse. It wasn't a common house
mouse, either, but a wild mouse unlike
any li had eyej seen.. It ran awav,
A Very Popular Cage Bird.
come from East Africa. I have soft
black feathered cheeks.
We welcome the little birds to
the zoo. None of us are very strong,
but we keep pretty well.
We have green feathers and red
throats and tan heads and our beaks
are like the beuks of paroquets, only
very small.'
"I am the Brush-ISronze-Wlng Pl-
eeon from eastern Australia, sum
the next speaker at the meeting.
'"I come from Eastern Australia,
as I've fald, Dtit you re nennng so
many stories thnt I thought I would
repeat that twice so that you are
doubly sure of remembering it.
I like low, swampy underbrush
kind of country, and I can fly quickly.
Hut I seldom do fly. I have gray
brown wings with touches of green
and orange. My breast Is gray and
slate blue in color, and I am supposed
to be very pretty. I hope you ull
think so, too.'
"And the birds all agreed that they
did.
'I am the Java Sparrow,' said the
next one. I am not very unusual.
I have white cheeks and a black
head and a little of my throat Is black,
tor).
'My beak Is pink and my body
Is of gray slate color, and folks say
I'm nice looking.
The little hirdlings are horn here
in the zoo, too, for they think we
have such a big, big home here.'
" 'I've the same name,' said another
bird, 'but I am a special Japanese
bird. My beak is link, too. I think
pink is such a cheerful color.'
Ioar me, dear me,' said the Jack
son Whyclah bird, 'I was afraid that
there would not be time for me to tell
my story.
'"I cine from British East Africa.
1 nm black and I am very fat and
puffed out and good-natured looking.
'I chirp, chirp, chirp steadily, for
I'm fond of chattering.
I have brownish touches on my
wings, and my tail Is long and feath
ery as a nice tan snouia ue, anu is
curved beautifully.
"It hangs down very far. I'm as
proud of the way my tall hangs down
as some girls are of the length of
their hair.
"'I've heard them boasting here In
the zoo. One said she could sit on
her hair, and her rlend almost turned
a backward somersault to prove thut
her hair was long, tool
"'That was a great Joke! Well, I
believe the meeting Is over, but even
ll
I
Forehanded
People
Inside of the vault of the bank are located
the individvual Safe Deposit Boxes main
tained for those forehanded people who want
the BEST OF PROTECTION for their
valuables. Bonds, stocks, insurance policies,
mortgages, records, receipts, jewelry, trink
ets, etc, deserve better protection than they
receive when kept in an office safe, tin box
or hidden away somewhere.
This bank has these Safe Deposit Boxes
for rent at the rate of two dollars a year and
up, according to the size of the box.) It offers
yeu the opportunity to keep your valuables
where it! keeps its own. Rent a Safe Deposit
Box today, for the number now vacant is
limited. ,
Farmers and Stockgrowers
National Bank
HEPPNER, OREGON
SAVE $200
EVERY YEAR
One sure way to make money
on your farm is to protect your
farm machinery.
The average annual loss, from
deterioration alone, on laxm
machinery left out In the
weather Is $200.
A machine shed that will
turn this annual loss Into a
Drofit can be built for a sur
prisingly small amount.
The shed shown here Is only go x ghau t.hrPi riiirp, chirp."
one of many carefully designed "And the Jackson Wliydah chirped,
and economical plans that our chirped, chirped," ended Daddy.
Architectural Department has
ready for your Inspection. Our
Blue Prints and Material Lists
are so complete that it Is an
easy matter for you to do the
lmildine yourself during the
slack season.
Come in and let us show you
how little money it takes.
TUM-A-LUM LUMBER CO.
Yards at
HEPPNER and LEXINGTON'
Phono Main 013
To Keep You Guessing.
Iiead these riddles aloud to the farn-
I ily withholding the answers, and see
how many can gue-s them :
What three letters frighten a thief?
I C V.
Why Is a tooth that has been pulled
like u thing forgotten' Because it Is
out of the head.
What was the first bet ever marie?
The alphabet.
What tree stands for number four
anywhere? Ivy (IV).
Who was the fastest runner In the
World? Adam, because be was first
In the human race.
Thomson Bros.
OUR STORE is head
quarters for seasonable
merchandise.
We can feed and clothe the whole
family from soup to nuts and
from hats to shoes
See our line of
Suits and Overcoats
for Men and Boys
THE HERALD. A REAL LOCAL NEWSPAPER