PAGE FOUP.
THE GAZETTE-TIMES, HEPPNER, OREGON, THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 1924.
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TV. E. lienley.
Tin: town of Willow Creek lies
tit the junction of a rivulet of
thnt name, with the B!g Mud
dy. I'.ut the p.-pie of that commu
nity being bom scoffers, have changed
t ie name of the Big Muddy la com- ,
inon parlance to "Mud Crick," and,
transformed by the alchemy of popu
lar ueprertutlon, the name of the town
Itself has shriveled Into "Wilier
Creek." It might have been some
thing of a town, as towns go in the
West, hut Instead of pulling with his
neighbors for the success of the town,
each of Its founders spent his time
making fun of the pretensions of oth
ers. Wilis there was talk on the part
of "old mun" Mead, the primeval post
master, of securing the government
land oflice for Willow Creek, the In
dian trader, and the saloonkeeper, and
the blacksmith, made great sport of
the old man's ambition. A few years
later, when civilization had crowded
in with a hotel, a lumber yard, a new
saloon, aud a barber shop, someone
spoke of starting a newspaper; but
the laugh that went up from Willow
Creek was the only unanimity that
greeted Editor McCray when his back
was turned. But the newspaper came,
and so did the people, and they kept
coming, until, when the "boom" of the
later eighties struck Kansas, It found
Willow Creek with about two thou
sand seeding Inhabitant
But, In one way or another, the
"boom" seemed to bring wealth to
Willow Creek. And with wealth,
came some attempts at the organi
sation of polite society. There were
Innumerable young real estate agents,
young doctors, young lawyers, and
clerks, all from the East, In the Til
lage; and these, with the daughters of
the early settlers and such friends as
they chanced to make In the high
school, constituted the aristocracy of
the town. It was a vulnerable aris
tocracy, and tlie scoffers made sad
havoc with it.
It was said of Flora McCray, who
went to boarding school and came
back, timid, retiring, and distinctly
unsocial, that, "She needn't hold her
self so high. If her father would only
pay back the money he stole In the
school land fraud she would be as
common as anybody." But the girl
paid no heed to these rumors, If she
heard them. She quietly filled her !
small sphere, bounded on one side by
her meek-Toiced mother and her busy
father, on another side by her church
and her "church social," on a third
side by a very brief glimpse of a very
big world and her memory of It, and
on the fourth side by occasional day
dreams and night thoughts, pretty
much the same as those which come
to any young girl of good health, good
spirits, and twenty-one years, who has
never had a sweetheart.
As the reaction, caused by the de
cadence of real estate prices set in,
Willow Creek became poorer. As the
young men, who paid for the orches
tras, and halls, and flowers, gradually
left town, the young women, who for
merly frequented receptions, parties,
and balls, were seen more and more
often at tne "church socials." After
a two years' Ineffectual struggle Wil
low Creek gave It up. the town could
no longer support two branches of
society, and the "church crowd" and
the "dance crowd" merged into one.
When It was announced that the
entire social body of Willow Creek
was going out to Robinson's for a
"taffy puil" one Saturday night, the
rest of Willow Creek laughed. The
town people sneered at the young wom
en who had planned the party, and In
timated that the night ride out to Rob
inson's and back was a heroic meas
ure; and they laughed at old man
Robinson and bis family for tolerating
people who would snub them If they
came to town, and lastly they laughed
at the young men who would have to
pay the livery bills,
Saturday morning, John Howard,
Mr. McCray's partner In the stock
business, came up from the farm on
Dry Creek, and after going over some
details of business, McCray asked his
partner to Sunday dinner, as was hll
custom, when the young man was In
town, and the Invitation was accepted.
During the "boom" Howard had made
money. He had mingled with what 1
known as the "swell set" of Willow
Creek, and though not a favorite at
the flood of the "boom," the very fact
that be had the social iastlnct, made
him a necessity In society at Its ebb.
Boon after leaving his partner's of
fice, he had learned of the plans for
the "tuiTy pull," that evening. He was
urged to gi, and finding that all the
rigs" were full, and that all the girls
of his "bet" were provided with es
corts, In a moment of despairing In
splratlon the young man sent a note
to his partner's daughter, asking for
"the pleasure of ber company." Hi
Invitation was accepted, and late that
fternoou, I'lora McCray stepped into
buggy with the first beau she had
ver had, und hea led a long proces
sion for IlobluBon's.
Someone bad stopped the clock that
Bight, and the young women, putting
oa their wraps, guessed that It was
nearly midnight, when the "taffy pull'
at Ilohlnsoii s broke up. As Hora Mc
Cray sat alone In the Robinson parlor
waiting to hear the grinding of wheels
across the graveled path that would
herald her escort's buggy, nhe went
over the evening's Impressions In her
tnlnd. She decided that It had beef
very pleasant evening, She hud nev
er before found herself surrounded by
the masterful attentions of a young
num. She was pleased with his bust
net like devotion to her coffee cup,
and was amused, yet a little startled,
Vhrli ha piled a monument of cuke
upon her pjnte and called on everjr-
one to pass tnings down R af
Mis MriTny was very hungry. It was
, a new sensation to find herself a part
' of the merriment Heretofore, she had
been only a spectator at such scenes.
. And thus, with mind isolated from
s , the vain world by such reflections, she
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ward ride.
It was blustering, cloudy night.
At first they chatted on about the
commonplaces of Willow Creek. Flora
McCray tried again and again to
HS.-o.lnte her recollection of the
familiar face of her father's partner
with the smooth-shaven face so near
her In the night. Her repeated efforts
were tantalizing. Uttle by little, did
the wizard of the night weave her
fancies, and then herself Into the woof
of his uncanny siell. Sot only was
she with a stranger, but she was her
self a stranger to herself. It may have
been the utter lonesomeness of the
night that drew her close to him, but
she came, and was not afraid.
Again he reached over her, and
again tucked the wraps closer than
ever about her, and the fumbling
touches of his hands awakened the
girl's new self to a delightful reali
sation of the fact that a new being
had come to her out of the darkness.
She came even closer to this new-found
presence, and almost cuddled against
the man's great coat, and snuggled un
der his arm, that rested loosely upon
the cushions behind her. Their talk,
which had been growing more and
more serious, gradually stopped.
"Are you cold dear r the young
man asked, when he felt her come
close to him. His words and his tone
startled the girl and almost broke the
spell. Flora McCray struggled a mo
ment with the Girl in the Dark, and
shuddered In despair as a voice from
the Girl, who felt a strong arm quiet
her, answered: "A little."
ard Is. Isn't he?"
"Oh. ye, he It uice enough. I guess,"
answersl the daughter, rising to go
to her r,om.
As she nea'-ed the top of the stairs.
Flora Mcay quickened her pace.
She ran through the upper hull. Once
In her room, she went straight to the
dresser, where the rumpled hat was
still lying. The lonely girl stood be
fore It a moment, and then, stooping
awkwardly, touched the crumpled vel
vet with pursed, uncertain lips, as one
ashamed. It may have been the dusk
In the room, or it may have been the
ghost of an odor from a cigar, that
transported this unschooled heart
back to the darkness, and the joy of
a first caress. But dusk, or ghost,
or something, came to this shy girl
there, and nerved her whole being, so
that she was no longer awkward, no
longer uncertain, nor In any wise
ashamed. The pretty velvet toy she
made her shrine, and In her worship
she kissed It, rubbed it with her burn
ing cheek, and buried her face In Its
sacred folds. ,
In Willow Creek where they scoff
and higgle over sordid things. In Wil
low Creek the hard, the arid, the bar
ren, they say no matter what, but In
and out of the narrow ways, turning
the sharp corners with the rest, with
tired feet, and timid, unsure hands.
there goes a woman whose womanhood
came to her as a dream in the night.
As the lights of the town came in
sight the young couple grew silent. A
turn in the road brought the buggy
under the white lare of an electric
light. Flora McCray was sitting up
right with her hands folded under the
robe, and Howard, with the whip and
the lines In his hands, was consciously
clucking at the horses. Each saw the
other's face clearly, and as they
crossed the circle of light the man
spoke:
"It must be two o'clock."
The girl did not reply, and the young
man leaned over to look out of the
buggy, as If to scan ths clouds. The
prospect did not altogether satisfy blm
and he said:
"It's going to be a pretty gloomy
Stjndny, I guess."
As Howard put out his arms to
help her from the buggy she barely
touched his outstretched hand, and her
decided shyness surprised blm. In a
bewilderment of confusion he said:
"You have made me very happy to
night. Miss McCray. Shall I speak to
your father when I come out to din
ner tomorrow?"
The girl did not reply, but went up
the steps and Into the house, while
the young man climbed Into the buggy,
and beat time with the whip to the
tune he was whistling, as he gave the
horses the rein for the stable.
Flora McCray locked the door and
slipped the bolt as quietly as she
could. She blew out the light In the
parlor and stole noiselessly upstairs.
Just before going to bed she started
to put away her hat. She picked It
up. The velvet and the ribbon
seemed crushed. She put out her
hand to smooth them. A hot flush of
recollection swept over her. and she
put the hat down. Site did not look
at It again, but blew out the light and
went to bed with her face turned from
the guilty reminder. And all night
long Flora McCray lashed herself for
the folly of the Girl In the Iark. As
she remembered It, she had made all
the advances; be bad only been kind
and good to her.
The next morning, all of Willow
Creek knew that John Howard had
taken Flora McCray to Rubinson's the
night before, and that he was going
to eat Sunday dinner with the Mc
Crays that afternoon. But the town,
as usual, was divided. One-half
claimed that the McCrays had to have
all of Howard's money, or they would
fall; and the other half that John
Howard was going to marry Flora Mc
Cray to keep the old man from prose
cuting him for running oft mortgaged
cattle and reporting them as dead.
And In the whole town no one could
have been so thoroughly surprised as
was Mr. McCray, when his daughter
said to him, "lather, If Mr. Howard
says anything to you about me. you
will tell him that I cannot marry
blm."
McCray and his daughter were walk
ing along the narrow, rough sidewalk
toward the church, when these words
were spoken. The mother had dropped
back, and was not in hearing distance.
McCray could not find Tolee for a few
exclamatory "whys" and "whats" be
fore his daughter had said firmly, "You
will be sure, won't you, father?" and
was waiting for her mother to catch
up with them. After the service, the
women, Flora and her mother among
them, hurried home to attend to the
feast of the day.
At the dinner table the young peo
ple met for the first time that day.
Flora McCray felt keenly, and with
a twinge of anguish, that the young
man's cordial suavity In greeting her
was only Inspired by gratitude for ber
generosity In releasing him from any
obligation.
She met bis eye, and thought she
read there a recollection of every
thing that had been. Then, as she
looked down and away, all the sweet
ness and unreality of the night's ride
was made real to her.
After dinner the men went Into the
parlor, where they smoked and talked
alone, while the women put away the
best china, afraid to trust It to the
"hired girl." Finally, young Howard
and Mr. McCray thought that the eve
ning mall would be In and distributed.
They put on their overcoats and were
In thef hall, when the elder man
opened the dining-room door and said :
"Mother, John thinks It's time to go,
and I am going to walk down to the
post office with him."
When the front door closed Mrs. Mc
Cray said:
"vIht. Hilctipung man John How-
I White Houso Hopes J
V;- ' " J
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Pi
5vvl;:
William Gibbs McAdoo, who
showed he was still very much in
the race for the Democratic presi
dential nomination, by an over
whelming defeat of Senator Under
wood in the Georgia preferential
primary.
" 2 A
111 i
Senator La Follette of Wisconsin,
Progressive Republican, whose sen
sational showing of strength in the
North Dakota primary has the
whole country talking He ran sec
ond to President Coolidge and
ahead of Hiram Johnson despite the
fact that his name was not on the
ballot but had to be written in or
placed on a sticker.
f4$ ts.
La
SfA'-rrocAC-rco
Senator Samuel Ralston of In
diana, who has been selected by
"Boss" Tom Taggart as the Demo
cratic Presidential nominee, if he
can prevail upon "Bosses" Charles
Murphy of New York, and William
Brcnnan of Chicago to hand over
New York and Illinois delegations.
Coalition of these three delegations
would prevent the nomination of
ny other candidate so long as the
two-third rule Is in effect.
Miss Roxie Stinson
fi&'M
&" If? w -sit
Former wife of the late Jess
Smith, one of the principal wit
nesses in the Senate Committee in
vestigation of Att'y-Gcn. Daugherty
administration of the Dept. of Justice.
-
E 2
i J
i '
ps 2
I I
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THE
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