Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current, November 19, 1925, Image 5

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Heppner gazette-times., November 19, 1925, Page PAGE FIVE, Image 5

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Newspaper Page TextHEPPNER GAZETTE TIMES, HEPPNER, OREGON, THURSDAY, NOV. 12, 1925. PAGE FTVE . OLIVER OCTOBER w George Ban McCutcheoa Ceprrifht, Ball Sradicate (WNU SnW SYNOPSIS CHAPTER I. Oliver October Baxter, Jr., waa born on a vile October dar. Hii parenU were prominent in the commercial, social and ipiritual life of the town of Rumley. Hii father waa proprietor of the hardware tore. The night that Oliver Oc tober wai born a irypy queen reada hii father's fortune and tella him what a won derful future hia eon haa before him, but after the reading, the gypsy becomei angry nad leavei the home in a rage after telling Mr. Baxter that hii aon will never reach the age of thirty, that he will be hanged for a crime of which ha ia not guilty. rH AFTER II. Ten yeara elapse and 011 ver'i father la the owner of a busineii block in the town. Mm. Baxter died when Oliver waa nearlng aeven. Josephine Sage, wife of the .minuter, cauaea a aematlon when she leavea Rumley to go on the atage. She become! a "itar" and later goea to London, where she acorea a hit. Her daugh ter Jane and young Oliver become greatly attached to one another. After finishing college, young Oliver accepts a position in Chicago with an engineering company. He goea to China on an imDortant mission for his firm. Upon his return he enlists in the Canadian army. CHAPTER III. The war Is over, Oliver returns to Chicago and Is told by his employers that his services are no longer required. He returns home. He hears Jane ia in love with Doctor Lansing. Jane and Oliver meet again. Oliver ia reprimanded by hia father for not getting another posi tion. Oliver threatens to leave home. (""CHAPTER IV. Despite Mr. Baxter's pleading to Oliver to remain In Rumler. Oliver decides to accept a position iq Chi- mr. ussier accompanies uiiver tnru a swamp on the way to the Sane home. On the way they quarrel over Olivers re fusal to stay in Rumley. Mr. Sage tella Oliver his father fears the thing the gypsy predicted and wants hia son to stay home, where he can watch over him. Oliver de cides not to leave him. Mr. Baxter fails to return home and is believed by some to have perished In the swamp. Oliver tells the authorities of the quarrel with his fa ther, but they do not accuse him of having anything to do with his father's disappear ance. Oliver takes charge of his father's business. Three months remain of the last year allotted to Oliver by the gypsy queen. The winter wore away, spring came and quickly melted into summer; that first anniversary of the unexplained disappearance of Oliver Baxter passed. Three months remained of the last year allotted to Oliver Oc tober by the gypsy "queen" on that wild, shrieking night in 80. But by this time practically everybody in Rumley was counting the days and jokingly reminding Oliver that his chances got better every day! "I see by the paper this evening that your Uncle Horace has an nounced himself as a candidate for state senator," said Mr. Sage one eve ning as he sat enjoying his customary half hour on Sage's porch with Jane and Oliver. "Well, I know one vote he will not get," said Oliver, "even if he is my uncle." "I know of another," said tho mln ister dryly. "Why, daddy, I am really beginning to take quite a fancy to you." cried Jane delightedly. "Only last week you said he ought to be tarred and feathered for turning those two old Bannister women out of their house over at Pleasant Ridge." "But he didn't turn them out," said Oliver quickly. "Somebody came along at the last minute and lent them the money to redeem their little house and farm." "You don't really mean It, Oliver?" cried Mr. Sage. "That is good news splendid news." "I hate that old Gooch man," cried Jnnc. "Jane, my dear, you really are be coming quite a vixen," remonstrated her father. An auto came to a sudden stop in front of the house, and an agil young man leaped out, leaving his engine running. He camo up the walk with long strides. "Say, Oliver, you old skato, I've been looking all over town for you," shouted Sammy Parr. "This isn't your night to call on Jane don't you know that? - Good evening, Jane Evening, Mr. Sage. Say, the Bnnnes tcra told me all about you, you blamed old skate I mean, Ollie, not you, Mr Sage, Gee whiz, Ollie, you certainly did throw the hooks into Uncle Hor aco this time, didn't you? You cer- tainly " "Shut upl" growled Oliver, scowl ing fiercely at the excited Sammy, "What on earth are you talking about, Sammy?" cried Jane, "Out with it, Sammy, out with it,1 counseled Mr. Snge, coming down the steps. "Well, what do you think, Mr. Sage wTiat do you think? Why, this chump here Is the guy that lent Mrs, Bannester the money to redeem he house." "Oh, Oliverl" cried Jane. "Did you really do It? I could squeoie you to death for it. And you never told me you never breathed a word ' "It was only about a thousand do! lars." mumbled Oliver. "Suro it was," agreed Sam cheer fully. "But right there and then th destiny of the great American nation was shaped along new lines, Th words were no sooner out of tli mouth of old Mrs. Bannestor when the boom was born I Yes, sir, at that very moment " "Oh, for the Lord's sake, Sammy, slow down! What'tho dickens are voU driving at, anyhow? Boom what boom?" "Your boom, you Idiot! Tho boom been stated for you as candidate for state senator againBt old man Gooch.1 "Why, you darned chump," roare Oliver, "I'm not going to run fo: state senator or anything else You must be crasy. I'll hoad It off tomor row. I'll telephone " "Won't do you a dnrned bit of good," cried Sammy, exultlngly, They'll nomlnato you, anyhow. Why, you're the only man in this county that would stand a gnost or mow Ollie. And the best of all popular nephew running against Shylock un cle! Gee whit! I'm going down to see AI Wilson at the Dispatch office. Put him wis and warn him not to let word of it leak out in the paper till ha gets the word. Night, Mr. Sage 10 long, Jane." Wait a minute!" called out Oliver, springing to his feet as Sammy dart- d down the walk. Nix!" shouted Sammy over his shoulder. The three of them watched him in ilence as he leaped into his car and began his swift, reckless turn in the narrow street. What are you going to do about it?" inquired the minister, the first to speak. Jane did not give Oliver a chance to reply. "Do about it?" she cried. "Why, e's going to run against old Gooch and beat the life out of him!" Oliver looked up at her. She stood on the top of the steps, the light rom the open door falling athwart er radiant lace, half In shadow, half n the warm, soft glow. Suddenly his heart began to pound, heavy, mothering blows against his ribs that had the effect of making him izzy, as with vertigo. He continued to stare, possessed of a strange won der, as she turned to her tall, gray- aired parent and laid both hands n his shoulders. I wish I could say 'gee whiz' as Sammy says it," she cried. "I feel II over just like one great big 'gee whiz. Don't you, daddy?" The man of God took hia daughter's rm, round chin between his thumb and forefinger and shook it lovingly. One 'gee whiz' in the family is enough," said he. "I am glad you feel like one, however. You take me Hack 26 years, my dear. Your mother sed to say 'gee whiz' when she felt like it. It is, after all, a rather harm leBs way of exploding." Presently he left them and Jail. spoke gently. Did you notice, Oliver, that he poke of mother a littlo while ago? It was the first time in years. I won- er if I remind him of her in lots of ways." Oliver's thoughts leaped barkwnrd score of years and more, "I used t think she was the most wonderful person in all the world," he said. "I was very desperately in love with your mother when I was aix or seven ane." He hesitated and then went on clumsily, almost fatuously. "I am beginning to think that you are like her in a lot of ways." She gave him a quick, startled look. His face was turned away, and so he did not see the tender, wistful little smile that flickered on her lips, or was he aware of the long, deep reath she took. From that moment queer, uneasy restraint feel upon them. There were long silences, reamy on her part, moody on his. He left shortly after 10; his "good ight" was strangely gruff and un atural. He was jealous. He knew it for a fact, be confessed it to himself for the first time openly and unreserved ly. There was no use trying to deny it. He did not go so far as to think f himself as being in love with Jane that would be ridiculous, after all the years they had known each other but he bitterly resented the thought that she might be in love with some ne else. Especially with the super ior, supercilious, cocksure Lansing! CHAPTER V An Amazing Cablegram. T XT THY lf j8ne wcro in love wltn V V Lansing," reflected Oliver, "good Lord, what a fool I.e had been to think it would make no dif ference to him! It would make I difference an appalling difference, All nonsense to think she wouldn't go out of his life if she married Lan sing or anyone else. Of course she would. Strange, though, that he should be so consumed with jealousy when he wasn't the least bit in love with Jane himself. He had been in' love a dozen times. He ought to know what love was and certainly his feelings toward Jano wore noth ing like those he experienced in by gone affairs of the heart. Gee whiz! What had suddenly Kt into him. The next morning no was down at tho swamp bright and early, inspect ing the work of the ditchers and tile layers. The task of reclaiming the land had been under way for several months and was slowly nearing com pletion. I wish you'd change your mind about not going out any farther, Oli ver," said old John Phillips, who was superintending the work. "We could go out a quarter of a mile farther without a bit of risk, and you'd add about 20 acres of good land to " "We'll have enough, John," inter- runted the young man. "We'll stick to the original survey. Don't go rod beyond the stakes I set up ou yonder. It may be safe but it isn worth while." Well, you're the boss," grumbled old John, and added somewhat peev ishly: "But I can't help saying I think you're making a mistake. There's some mighty good land there. spite of them mudhoies a little far ther out." I'm not denying that," laid Oliver patiently. "But we'll stop where the stakes are, just the same." A few minutes later old John con fided to one of the ditchers that young Baxter was considerable of a darned fool. Either that, or else ha had some thundering good reason of his own for not wanting to go out beyond the stakes. This here job has cost up'ards of $3,000 already, and for a couple of hundred more he could clean up clear to the edge of the mire. I used to look upon that boy as a smart young feller." "Maybe he's a whole lot smarter than you think," said the ditcher sig nificantly. "Oh, I don t for a minute think it s that," said old John hastily. "Not for a minute." I can't help, thinkin' we'll turn up that old man's body some day. It sort of gives me the creeps." The two big ditches, fed by lateral lines of tile, held a straight course across the upper end of the swamp and drained into Blacksnakc creek, a sluggish little stream half a mile west of Rumley. Roughly estimated, three hundred acres were being transform ed into what in time was bound to become valuable land. Oliver was walking slowly back to the house, his head bent, hia hands in his pockets, when he observed an automobile approaching over the deep ly rutted,, seldom travelel road. He recognized the car at once. Lan sing's yellow roadster. "Hello, there!" called our Lansing. 'Hop in, Oliver. I've been sent to fetch you over to Mr. Sage's. He had a cablegram this morning and sort of went to pieces." "A cablegram? His wife is she dead?" I should say not. She's sailing for the United States tomorrow and is coming here to live." It was true that Josephine Sage was coming home. The beatific minister thrust the cablegram into Olivers hand as the young man came bound ing up the veranda steps ten min utes later. She's coming on the Baltic. I have decided to go to New York to meet her. Jane will accompany me. I wish you would find out for me, Oliver, when the Baltic is due to ar rive at New York. Please help me out, lad. Perhaps I should have tele graphed myself or had Jane do it but we I mean I er "Say," interrupted Oliver, with sparkling eyes, "I'll bet you're 20 years younger than you were yester day, Uncle Herbert!" I I believe I am, said Mr. Sage, squaring nis thin snouiaers ana drawing a deep breath. Mr. Horace Gooch of Hopkinsville, heretofore a miserly aspirant for leg islative honors, but persistently de nied the distinction for which he was loath to pay, had "come acroee handsomely, and so desperately, that the bosses had foolishly permitted him to be nominated for the state senate. The people did not want him but that made Utile or no difference to the party leaders', the people had to take him whether they liked him or not. Mr. Gooch's astonishing con tribution to the campaign fund was not to be "passed up" merely because the people didn't approve of him. The report that young Oliver Bax ter of Rumley was being urged to make the race against his uncle csused no uneasiness among the bosses. It was not until after the young man was nominated and ac tually in the field that misgivings be set them. Young Baxter was popular in the southern section of the county, he was a war hero and he was am up standing figure in a community where the voters were as likely as not to "jump the traces." The bosses sent fpr Mr. Gooch and suggested that it wouldn't be a bad idea for him 'to withdraw from the race on account of his age, or his health, or hi nephew. "Do you mean to Tell me," began Horace, genuinely amazed, "that you think this young whipper-snapper of a nephew of mine is liable to defeat me?" "Nobody knows what the people want," replied the chairman senten tiously. "Now, this young Baxter, He's a fine feller. He has a clear rucord. There isn't a thing we can say against him, On the other hand he can say a lot of nasty things abou you, Mr, Gooch, I'm not saying you'll he licked next November, but you stand a blamed good chance of it, let me tell you, if this young Baxter,goe after you without gloves." "I've just been thinking," .said Mr. Gooch, leaning forward in his chair. "suppose I go down to Rumley and have a talk with Oliver." "What about?" demanded the other sharply. "I may be able to reason with him." "No chance," said the other, shak- ng his head. "He's got it in for you, I hear." Mr. Gooch got up and began pacing the floor. "See here. Smith," he began, halt- ng in front or the "Doss." "I may as well come out flat-footed and tell you I've never been satisfied with all these stories and speculations con cerning the disappearance of my brother-in-law a year ago. It's mighty queer that a man like Oliver Bax ter could disappear off of the face of the earth and never be heard of again. Most people believe he s alive hiding somewhere but I don't be lieve it for a minute. He's dead. He died that night a year ago when he had his last row with his son. And, what's more to the point, I am here to say I don't believe his son has told all he knows about the er matter." Say, what are you trying to get at. Mr. Gooch. That comes pretty near to being a charge, doesn't it?" You can call it what you please. All I've got to say is that I'm not satisfied, and I'm going to the bottom of this business if it's possible to do so." Two days later, Horace Gooch stopped his ancient automobile in front of the Baxter block in Rumley and inquired of a man in the door way: , "Is young Oliver Baxter here?" The loiterer turned his head lazily squinted searchingly into the store, and then replied that he was. "Tell him his uncle is out here." The citizen disappeared. He was back in a jiffy, grinning broadly. "Well?" demanded Mr. Gooch, as the messenger remained silent. "What did he say?" The citizen chuckled. "It ain't fit to print," said he. Mr. Gooch Bhut off his engine and settled back in the seat, the personi fication of grim and dogged patience. Fifteen minutes passed. Passersby, sensing something unusual, found an excuse for loitering in front of near by show windows. Mr. Link came out of his office, and after taking one look at the hardfaced old man in the automobile, hurried to the rear of his establishment. A few seconds later he returned, accompanied by Joseph Sikes. They took up a position in the doorway. At last Oliver October appeared. "Hello, Uncle Horace," was his greeting. "Sorry to have kept you waiting. And I'm in a bit of a hurry, too. Some friends coming down on No. 17, Mr. and Mrs. Sage you re member them, no doubt. Anything in particular you wanted to see me about?" "Yes, there is," said Mr. Gooch harshly. "I came over here to demand an apology from you, young man a public, apology printed over your sig nature in the newspapers. I wrote you a very plain and dignified letter in which I told you what I though of the underhanded way you acted in regard to those dear old ladies, Mrs. Bannester and her sister. You know as well as I do that it was my inten tion to restore their property to them absolutely tax free and without a sin gle claim against it. You simply sneaked in and got ahead of me. And what did you Bay in reply to my sim pie, straightforward letter? You said you wouldn't trust me as far as you could throw a locomotive with one hand, or something like that. If don't have a written and published acknowledgement from you that you deliberately misrepresented me, that you played me an underhand trick simply for political purposes, 111 "I'll make it so blamed hot for you you'll wish you'd never been born,' grated Mr. Gooch. "It rests with you, young man, whether a cetain inves tigation takes place or not." "What do you mean by investiga tion?" demanded Oliver, his eyes nar rowing. "Just what are you driving at?" His uncle leaned forward and spoke slowly, distinctly. "Is there any evi dence that you father ever left this place at all?" Oliver looked his uncle straight in the eye for many seconds, a curious pallor stealing over his face. "There is no evidence to the con trary." "There's no evidence at all," said Gooch, "either one way or the other. There has never been anything like a thorough search for him in the neighborhood of his own home. don't believe Oliver Baxter ever ran away from home. I believe he's out there in that swamp of yours. Now you know what I mean by an Inves tigation, young man and if it is ever undertaken I want to say to you it won't be under your direction, and it won t be a half-hearted job. And the swamp won't be the only place to be searched. There are other places he (Continued on Page Tight.) NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that there will be a meeting of the Levying Board of Morrow County, Oregon, at the Court House in Heppner, Oregon, on the 3rd day of December, 1925, when and where the estimates arrived at by the Budget Committee of Morrow County, Oregon, here after set forth, may be discussed with the Levying Board, and when and where any person who shall be subject to such tax levy, shall be heard in favor of or against said tax levy or any part thereof. Dated at Heppner, Oregon, this 9th day of November, 1925. R. L. BENGE, County Judge. G. A. BLEAKMAN, Commissioner. L. P. DAVIDSON, Commissioner. Estimate and Accounting Sheet TiHIS estimate and accounting sheet is made in compliance with Chapter 118, General Laws of Oregon, for 1921, and shows in parallel columns the unit cost of the several services, materials and supplies for the three years next preceeding the current year, the detailed expenditures for the last one of the said preceeding years, and the budget allowance and expenditures for the six months of the current year, also the budget estimate for the year 1926. Department or Officer COUNTY JUDGE Salary Expense Estimated '26 j Expended 6 Budget I Expended I Expended Expended Expenditures Month 1925 1925 1924 192S 1922 $ 1,600.00 $ 800.00 $ 1,600.00 50,00 . 50.00 1,600.00 1,600.00 1,650.00 COUNTY CLERK Salary Deputy Books, Blanks COUNTY SHERIFF Salary Deputies Travel Expense Incidentals COUNTY ROAD MAS TER Salary ;. COUNTY TREASURER Salary Books, Blanks Incidentals COUNTY ASSESSOR Salary Deputy Extension Books and Blanks Field Work Incidentals SCHOOL SUPERIN TENDENT Salary Travel expense Books and Blanks Incidentals .'. COUNTY CORONER Fees and Mileage COUNTY COMMIS SIONERS Per diem and Expense COUNTY SURVEYOR Per diem and expense ACCOUNTANTS Audit of Books CURRENT EXPENSE Telegrams, telephone, stationery, postage . TAX COLLECTION Books and Blanks JAIL Board and expense ... ELECTIONS Expense INDIGENT SOLDIERS Relief, Soldiers COURT HOUSE Salary, Janitor Fuel Light and Water Incidentals CARE OF POOR Expense COUNTY PHYSICIAN Salary INSANE Expense WIDOWS' PENSION Expense ...t CIRCUIT COURT Witnesses, Jurors Reporter's fees Bailiff's fees Meals Special counsel Incidentals JUSTICE COURT Fees, Jurors and wit nesses DISTRICT ATTORNEY Expense COUNTY AGENT Appropriation DISTRICT SEALER Appropriation WATERMASTER Appropriation SCHOOL LIBRARY State Books COUNTY INSTITUTE Expense MISCELLANEOUS Overseer machinery . Bonds . Insurance Incidentals EMERGENCY FUND Emergencies COUNTY SCHOOL Per capita HIGH SCHOOL TUI TION Tuition MARKET ROAD Match State Levy ROAD BONDS Interest ROAD BONDS Sinking Fund ROADS & HIGHWAYS Repairs, building, lab- bor, machinery BRIDGES Labor, repairs, new bridges STATE OF OREGON State Tax INDEBTEDNESS Outstanding Warrants 2,000.00 1,000.00 2,000.00 1,320.00 600.00 1,320.00 800.00 330.14 800.00 3,893.89 4,127.31 4,251.21 2,000.00 1,000.00 2,000.00 2,460.00 1,280.00 2,460.00 500.00 250.00 693.55 750.00 5,426.77 4,632.45 4,974.31 2,000.00 1,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 1,000.00 500.00 1,000.00 150.00 . 250.00 100.00 96.28 100.00 1,120.40 1,168.55 1,115.89 1,600.00, 800.00 1,600.00 1,200.00 . 600.00 1,200.00 150.00 181.94 150.00 300.00 300.00 1,200.00 1,200.00 100.00 100.00 4,346.10 4,310.02 4,124.32' 1,600.00 r 800.00 1,600.00 350.00 350.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 368.01 J 00.00 2,281,08 2,481.48 2,205.55 300.00 27.65 300.00 83.85 299.94 429.75 1,250.00 672.79 1,250.00 1012.33 736.92 693.81 100.00 16.20 100.00 88.67 150.42 24.06 r 350.00 125.00 350.00 450.00 600.00 150.00 700.00 304.11 700.00 533.77 631.66 796.37 600.00 509.75 500.00 225.27 620.41 584.01 300.00 344.07 300.00 733.39 161.17 182.90 2,000.00 7.50 2,000.00 1,632.95 644.25 1,641,25 100.00 100.00 3.60 960.00 480.00 960.00 1,000.00 1,000.00 600.00 600.00 500.00 776.70 500.00 2,954.18 3,713.74 2,903.32 2,500.00 1,462.81 1,500.00 1,831.62 1,928.22 1,493.74 120.00 60.00 120.00 120.00 120.00 120.00 100.00 59.75 100.00 60.55 75.90 1,500.00 485.00 1,500.00 . 1,390.00 1,542.50 1,395.00 1,000.00 1,500.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 626.75 100.00 . 2,210.28 989.85 1,006.51 200.00 146.18 200.00 477.61 214.87 210.54 200.00 1.11 200.00 102.81 259.10 133.12 2,500.00 1,300.00 2,500.00 2,575.00 2,475.00 2,800.00 117.00 62.25 117.00 88.55 116.85 116.84 395.00 312.05 339.00 180.35 163.13 153.32 200.00 200.00 174.70 207.28 181.48 200.00 150.00 200.00 200.00 900.00 200.00 300.00 420.00 214.00 420.00 770.00 12.00 235.00 80.00 80.00 1,387.57 1,492.62 5,000.00 302.16 5,000.00 692.36 1,507.16 50.00, 17,500.00 17,470.00 7,000.00 7,000.00 16,509.00 3.50 16,364.00 36,607.21 28,368.93 47,933.62 20,000.00 I 8,714.13 16,364.00 15,950.00 15,964.90 41,300.00 34,093.00 25,000.00 6,452.62 25,000.00 8,000.00 . 16,000.00 80,000.00 78,425.00 36,600.00 32.000.00 i298.301.00 I I 1 The following amounts are not included within the 6 per cent limitation law and are author ized by the Oregon Laws: Interest on bonds $ 20,000.00 Bond Sinking Fund 41,300.00 State Tax 85,000.00 High School Tuition 7,000.00 TOTAL $153,300.00 Estimated receipts for the year 1926, other than taxation: Interest on bank deposits $ 500.00 Fees from Clerk's office 3,000.00 25 per cent Forest Rentals 1,000.00 5 per cent Land Sales 100.00 Uncollected taxes 40,000.00 TOTAL $ 44,600.00 RECAPITULATION Total estimated expenditures for the year subject to 6 per cent limitation .'. $145,001.00 Total estimated receipts not including proposed tax 44,600.00 Balance, amount to be raised by taxation subject to 6 per cent limitation $100,401.00 Dated at Heppner, Oregon, this 4th day of November, A. D., 1925. LUCY M. JARMON, Secretary. MORROW COUNTY BUDGET COMMITTEE, R. L. BENGE, Chairman.