HEPPNER GAZETTE TIMES, HEPPNER, OREGON, THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 1927.
PAGE THREE
nWlCEBAR
SWAMP
Michael J. Phillips
Illustration! by Henry Jay Lee
Copyright rWichul V. Phillips
Released thru TVbliahars AuucuUr Service
The Leading Characters.
SCOOTS LIB BEY, a worthless char
acter, who hag smashed his machine
into another car, killing its lone occu
pant, a woman. Forbes' companion
and Libbey quit the scene hurriedly,
leaving the former alone to face a
constable who reasons that Eddie,
with the Bcent of whiskey about him,
must be connected in some way with
the accident. Accordingly Forbes is
arrested.
EDISON FORBES, a young resident
of Scottdale with an inherent crav
ing for liquor, is held for the death
of a woman who has been killed by
a bootlegging truck. Circumstantial
evidence points to Forbes and rather
than tell the truth of the episode,
which would clear him but cast an
other friend in a bad light, he stands
trial and is sentenced to a long term
in prison. The governor of the state,
an old friend of Eddie's father, be
lieves him innocent and pardons him
shortly after his arrival at the jail.
Back in Scottdale he and
PATSY JANE, Eddie's pretty wife,
agree that public sentiment runs too
high against him. Accordingly they
migrate up north to some land that
has been in the family for years. Set
tled in their log cabin
ISAIAH SEALMAN, a neighbor,
pays the Forbes a visit and intimates
that there are some back taxes for
the young couple to pay. Sealman
offers to give Eddie a job after he
goes down to Long Portage, a nearby
town, and learns about the taxes.
The next day while walking about
their property they discover a mys
terious mound that contains out
crops similar to salt. At the tax of
fice Forbes learns that the back taxes
amount to over eight hundred dollars
and that the certificates are held by a
Chicago capitalist who is eager to
obtain the property. Eddie has five
months to pay. A few days later he
helps a booze truck out of the mud
knd is presented with a bottle of
whiskey which he hides before walk
ing over to interview Sealman.
CHAPTER IX.
An Offer
Sealman was not at home, a woman
of middle age who answered his
knock told Eddie. He was down-town.
She looked at him with the curiosity
of people who see few strangers. He
could feel her eyes boring into his
back from the small-paned windows
after he had turned away and was
retracing his steps.
Now what to do? he tought dissat
isfiedly. There was plenty of wood
cut. He didn't want to coop up and
read. There was nothing else, except
an exploratory tramp. That was it:
He would follow the road north, to
find out where the booze truck came
from.
up here. But as they get down where
there are more towns, they must lay
up days."
He took out the bottle again. Hi
potations had reduced the contents
considerably. The stuff was begin
ning to take effect. "Well, another
littte drink won't do us any harm," he
said aloud with a reckless laugh. "And
I guess it's time to hit homeward
then. It's a long, long ways to lit
tle old Tipperary down there by the
creek.
"It's a long, long way to Tipper
ury," he sang, unsteadiness creeping
into his footsteps.
Darkness had fallen when he slump
ed against the door of the cabin. The
raincoat had impeded him. Some
where back along the trail he had
thrown it away. So that it was a
drenched figure that toppled to the
floor when Patsy Jane lifted the latch.
She got him undressed and to bed,
bomehow, lips compressed, eyes glow
ing with resentful inner fires. He
was inert as a log. He slept the
night through, without moving. Real
ly it was more of a stupor than of
sleep, for the liquor had the effect on
his senses of a shrewdly-swung mal
let. He was sick next day, sick with a
sense of failure and remorse and
worthlessness, but physically ill as
well. The exposure in the cold rain
itself was a venomous drug. The
adulterants which had been added to
give bite and volume by the various
handlers bordered on deadly poisons
and they clawed and tore at stomach
and intestinal linings.
It was not until the second morning,
after he had eaten breakfast in a
dressing gown, that Patsy steeled her
self against the pity which kept well
ing up at sight of his pale face. She
had tended him uncomplainingly, ig
noring his fretful repinings and Belf
scourgings. "Now, Eddie," she said gravely,
across the breakfast-table, "we'll have
a little talk. I'm not going to say
much. Nagging won't do any good.
But we must have an understanding."
She hesitated before going on: "I
don't need to tell you what liquor
does for you. You know where it
brought you where you'd be if it
weren't for the governor. Eddie, I
won't stand any more. I can't stand
uny more. This is the last time. If
you get drunk again I'll leave you."
He searched the sad, piquant little
face. The gray eyes were steady, the
tender mouth firm. The finality of
her words struck a chill in his heart.
"But, Patsy! What would I do if
you left me?" he burst forth, invol
untarily, and then flushed at the
childish selfishness of the remark.
"I don't know, Eddie. It might cure
you. I can't seem to cure you by
staying." There was not bitterness
ir. her words; only sadness.
He leaned forward to take her
hands. "You won't have to go, Pat,"
he assured her, his voice trembling
with eagerness. "I'm through with
" don't believe I care to sell," h e said, and Patsy Jane's eyes tele
graphed approval.
He stopped at the house to tell Pat
and then turned into the sinuous dou
ble track, aong which the broad tires
had left their impress. When he was
opposite the point where the liquor
was hidden, he turned to the jutting
rock and thrust his arm into the hole.
He withdrew the flask and thrust
it into his pocket without looking at
it. He swung northward for a mile
without pausing. Then he stopped
abruptly, snatching out the bottle, re
moved the cork with feverish haste
and took a long drink.
The liquor was potent. He coughed
and shuddered, but the effect of the
stimulant was immediate. A genial
glow coursed through his veins. He
became optimistic. Ho whistled light
heartedly as he fell Into a distance
eating stride that took him due north.
Mile after mile was reeled off, for
he was determined to find the end of
the road. The soil was so poor that
there were no settlers, no humnn hab
itationnothing but the track, dip
ping Ino the hollow and surmounting
the long sandy knolls with sparce
jackpine covering.
He stopped occasionally to drink
nirnin. Thn exercise kont the effects
of the whiskey down. At last, long
past mid-afternoon. Lake Huron, com
and gray, under the assault of the
f.nin hrnlrn nn his vision. The lake
filled the entire horizon ahead. The
road ended at a dock which thrust lt
olf Into thn ahnllnws. Fretful wnvo-
la Kenlra nnnn thn whit.P Hfind. PineS
of good size fringed the shores of the
cove.
"They lighter it from out there a
wnv" Eddie's thought. "In
steamers shoot right across the lake
from the Georgian Bay country. They
run tho booze-trucks day and night
booze! Oh, I know I've said it be
fore, but this time I mean it. You'll
see. Never another drop as long as
I live." He meant it. He was sure
of himself. The chains were broken.
The conviction that he was his own
man shown in his eyes. She thrilled
with faith and conviction. She
squeezed his hands joyfully.
There was a knock at the door,
t'-c-almnn, the sleek, stood in a back
pruund of brilliant sunshine when
Pntsy Jane opened it. "What's the
matter, Mr. Forbes sick?" he asked
hit keen blue eyes roving as he took
a chair.
"A little under the weather," re
turned Eddie, shortly. "I was ovej to
sec you the other day, but you were
out."
"Yes. You have looked up the taxes
I suppose. What did you find?"
"Well, I have better than eight
hundred dollars to raise in five
months. That job you talked about
begins to look pretty good, Mr. heal
man."
Sealman considered his hands fold
ed over his rounded stomach, his lips
nursed beneath his glossy beard.
"Rather a lot of money," he said,
meditatively. "Have you ever con
sidercd selling?"
"0. ves, we've talked it some," re
plied Eddio. "But I don't suppose it
would bring much more than the taxes
the whole thing."
"It isn't worth ony more," agreed
Sealman. "That it, it isn't worth any
more to anyone except possibly my
self. I wouldn't mind owning this
quarter-section. It would round out
my property nicely. 1 coutu run stock
on it after it was lonceu. rou con
sider an offer?"
Eddie looked at his wife. Her face
did not reveal her thoughts, but he
knew that beneath the surface, she
disapproved. The idea of selling was
repugnant. "I'll listen," he said, non-
committally.
"Well, the actual value is perhaps a
thousand dollars. It might bring that
if you had time to search for a buyer
and interest the right party. Not a
cent more. And it might take a year
to find your man. Suppose I advance
the money to satisfy the taxes, and
give you a thousand dollars besides?"
A thousand dollars! The offer was
surprisingly generous. It meant that
Sealman considered the place worth
practically twice what the average
person would pay. Well, if it was
'.. orth more than eighteen hundred
dollars to Sealman, it must be worth
tn;.l to them.
"I don't believe I care to sell," he
.aid, and Patsy Jane's eyes telegraph
ed approval.
CHAPTER X
Another Truck
Sealman showed his disappointment.
"That's a go'od price, Mr. Forbes, a
big price. You won't get another
such offer."
"Maybe not."
"You've admitted that there's a
chance you can't raise the taxes. You
may lose everything."
"That's a chance I mean to take."
returned Eddie, smiling. He felt bet
ter that the refusal was behind him.
"Hum." Sealman digested this for
a time. "I'm not justified Mr. Forbes,
not justified at all. In fact, I'm prob
ably foolish for doing it. But I might
raise it to twelve hundred."
"No, thank you."
Sealman rose. Displeasure was
struggling to show through the sleek
ness of his manner. "Fifteen hun
died! That's positively the last
word, Forbes."
"No, Mr. Sealman. I think I can
make it worth that by keeping it."
The roving blue eyes encountered
Edcit's for an instant. "Anyone else
been making you an offer?"
"No, I haven't talked with another
soul about it. By the way, how about
that job? Does it look as though
ycu could take me on as a farm
hand?" Sealman paused at the door and
turned, his hands on the latch. "I've
changed my plans somewhat, Forbes,
I don't see how I can use you. Gi:od
day."
"Why, th? old hoptoad!" ejaculated
Eudie. "Whin's gotten into him? Is
lie sore because we wouldn't sell, or
what?"
"I don't know, but I'm glad we
didn't," returned Patsy Jane stoutly.
"I don't like him any better than you
Co, Eddie. I'm glad you're not to
work for him What did he mean
when he asked if anyone, cise tried
to buy the place?"
"He mean: that he's mighty anx
ious to get it. We haven't he rd the
last of him, Fat. Well, 've'll have
to jump in and pull out of the fire.
If he wants it and Brower wants it,
there must be more to it than we've
realized. I can get a job, easy, I
know."
His optimism was not justified.
Most of the settlers in the vicinity
had little good land, and that was
illy-cultivated. They preferred hunt
ing and fishing and getting outposts
to farming, for which they had nei
ther capital or equipment.
When he crossed the creek, how
ever, there was a ray of hope. The
Davenant ranch, plaything of a weal
thy Detroiter, had a resident fore
man. He told Eddie that tie owner
had ambitious plans for the year 4n
the way of heavy planting and much
clearing. He might need se :ral men.
When Mr. Davenant came up m a
week or so, and made final decision,
he had better be on hand.
Eddie felt that he could not afford
to wait even a week. He went to
town. But Long Portage was over
flowing with labor. The married men
who had been in the woods all win
ter were trooping back. Their sum
mer jobs were kept for them. There
was no chance for an outsider against
their long-established claims.
The week passed dully. He dug
and chopped out pine stumps, for
their roots and pitchy knots made
excellent firewood. The hard labor
of sawing and chopping smothered
his homesickness and drowned in
fatigue the craving for liquor which
was ever near the surface.
Ho filled the woodshed to the eaves
and even piled a tier around the in
side of the garage, a slab shed with
sloping roof. He mode three trips
to the Duvcnant ranch. But the own
er had not yet arrived.
AnotheV rainy day found him
chinking the logs of the cabin with
mud from the banks of the creek.
It did not really need it. But rest
lessness was devouring him, and the
demnnd for liquor wns rising like a
prairie fire. The intensity of the
passion frightened him. Back home,
in normal surroundings and with a
regular occupation, he had been able
to keep it somewhat within bounds.
Especially as the little town and its
uncompromising opinions imposed re
straints upon him.
But here, the frontier still, where
life was much more open and simple,
the restraints were fewer. The wil
derness, grim and unfriendly in
storm, gay and sparkling in sunshine,
invited one to live his own life, un
caring. There were few to see and
to comment. It was, he fancied, like
he early days in the west. Some of
the settlers here were failures who
had come to the jackpine country to
torget tho past. They did not ask
too-personal questions. Because they
would resent such questions from
others.
Just after noon, while he was at
the creek for sodden earth, there was
a hail from the north road. He recog
nized the guard of the liquor-truck
whom he had assisted when it was
mired. "Got a big wrench?" asked
the man. "The nut's worked loose
cn this axle and one of our hind
wheels was about ready to drop off
when we noticed. Don't know what
he's thinking of, but Jake hasn't a
wrench in his toolkit."
"Just a minute," replied Eddie. He
brought the wrench from the cabin
and, with a tumultuous admixture of
feeling, accompanied the man up the
road to the truck. It was but the
work of a few moments to twist the
nut home on the jacked-up wheel.
When it was done the guard, with
a knowing smile, reached for the box
under the Beat, but Eddie stopped
"Not for mine," he said. "The last
bottle nearly put me away. I think
it had arsenic in it!"
"But this is good stuff," assured
Jake, eagerly. "This is a little pri
vate stock we keep for ourselves and
our friends. We were all out last
week."
"All right, kid, it's up to you,"
said the guard, when Eddie refused
again. "She's clearin' off. Come on
and take a tittle ride."
Eddie responded to the invitation.
He did want to do something besides
fight his own thoughts. He would I
ride a few miles toward town, drop
off, and walk back through the bar
rens, which were beginning to ex
( rcise a powerful fascination for him.
Of course he wouldn't drink any of
their beastly liquor.
While the truck went on, to wait
.or him below the ridge west of the
house, he ran in to tell Patsy Jane.
"Go ahead; it'll do you good," she
urged. And then she added: "Who
are your friends?"
"Oh, a couple of fellows I met
while ago," he said evasively, as he
kissed her.
The booze-runners proved to be en
tertaining companions. They took it
for granted that he was a kindred
spirit, and they talked freely and
with humor, of their calling its dan
gers, its adventures, its sordid tangle
of plot and crossplot.
The first time they produced a bot
tle and drank from it, ha refused
their invitation to join! and the sec
ond; hut the third time he succumb
ed to their urging to "take just a
sip." "Which was only th start.
(Continued next week.)
WILL HOLD RAM SALE.
(The Oregon Woolgrower)
The Oregon Woolgrowers' Associa
tion will conduct a ram sale at Pen
dleton August 18th, 1927. Consign
ments already received number s-.me-thing
over seven hundred head of
rrms. Approximately four njndred
of those will be Hampshires from the
best flocks in Oregon, Idaho and
Washington. There will be about
two hundred head of Ramboaillet
ams; about one hundred Romr.eys;
fifty head of Delaines and twenty-
five head of Lincolns. The consigners
vf Hampshires are Carl Whitmore of
Joseph, Oregon, J. D. Dobbin, La
Grande, Robert S. French, Cove, Frank
Brown and Sons, Carlton, Ore., H. H.
Huron, Imbler, Link Wilson, McMinn-
ville, Dave Waddell, Amity, Cam
bridge Land and Livestock Co., Cam
bridge, Idaho, Thousand Springs
Ranch, Wendell, Idaho, University of
Idaho, Moscow, H. G. Keyt, Perrydale,
Oregon, H. Stanley Coffin, Yakima,
Wash., C. H. Hubbard, Sunnyside,
Wash.
Rambouillets: Cunningham Sheep
Co., Pendleton, E. C. Burlingame,
Walla Walla, University of Idaho,
Moscow, Dave Waddell, Amity, Ore.
Delaines: J. E. Smith Livestock Co.,
Pendleton, Ore.
Romneys: H. Stanley Coffin, Yaki
ma, Wash.
Lincolns: University of Idaho, Mos
cow, Dave Waddell, Amity, Ore.
These rams will be specially select
ed for this sale and are among the
best rams produced in the NorthweBt.
Even should you be fully stocked up
with rams for this year, it will pay
all range growers to come to this sale
and look the rams over. One of the
best authorities in Idaho, discussing
the Idaho lambs the other day made
the assertion that Idaho has put on
each lamb from ten to fifteen pounds
weight, by the use of better rams.
While many good rams are in use in
the Oregon flocks there is still consid
erable room for improvement and it
would be well if growers attended
this sale to size up the class of stuff
m the pens and then compare it with
the rams at home.
Your Money Goes Farther
This Way:
People maintain checking accounts in this bank because
they want to get the greatest value from their money.
Their money goes farther that way. They get more ben
efit from it when they maintain a reasonably larg aver
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Maintain a checking account here with a reasonably
large balance. It will help you get the most from your
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MM-
Farmers & Stockgrowers National
Heppner Bfink Oregon
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The value of a Ram Sale has been
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ijale held early in Salt Lake City.
Competition to obtain the top price in
the different breeds there is very keen
and the grower obtaining the top
price for a pen of twenty-five year-
ling rams of any breed la considered
to have reached the most enviable po
sition among ram breeders. It is not
only an education to the range grower
uesiring to purchsc rami but the
breeders themselves can set what
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1 sO'y y '
A New Pair FREE if they Rip
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The Forward Look
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In the America of tomorrow new industries
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