Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Lexington wheatfield. (Lexington, Or.) 1905-19?? | View Entire Issue (July 12, 1906)
By H. S. MERRIMAN CHAPTER XIV. (Continued.) "If," he said presently, "you were my Bister, or if I were fortunate enough to possess a right to comment upon your actions, I should be strongly tempted to throw cold water upon your charity." "Of course you would," she replied. "Nine men out of ten would do the 6a me." "I hope so." "I am sure of It, Mr. Tyars, and, moreover, I do not defend myself. It 1 very difficult to find a channel for char itable motives to run in. At any rate, I do no harm 1o these old men." "I have no doubt you do them a great deal of good," he said, rather bluntly : "but you are hardly the person to do It. This is not the place for a lady to wan der about in alone. Wait twenty years." She laughed, and stepped aside to hold out her arms in expostulation. "I'm not a girl," she said; "and look at me. A thick veil and a clumsy old ulster without a waist to it. I think, in deed, it is foolish of me to ask you to look." He did look, gravely, from the top of her simple hat to the toes of her small boots peeping out beneath the ulster. "It is no use," he said, "you cannot dis guise yourself. No woman," he added, "with your advantages can." lie was quite right. Plainness is easl-;r to conceal than beauty. There is nothing more difficult to hide than a pretty face and a graceful figure. They walked on again. "If," she said, "we waited for men to tell us what we can do and what we cannot, a great deal of good would remain undone." He would not argue; and his silence softened her humor, for it betrayed a determination to interfere no further. "It is not," she said, continuing her defense with womanlike persistence, "as if I dragged other people into it. I do not, for instance, bring Helen here." As she said this she glanced up at him. "No," he answered, calmly, returning her gaze. They were now at the dock gates, and the constable on duty touched the brim of his helmet in double recognition. "May I call a hansom?" inquired Ty ars. "Thank you," she said. "There is one coming." While waiting for the cab she spoke again. "I feel," she said, lightly, "like a run away school girl. Will you please tell no tales out of school?" "You can trust me. Miss Winter," he said, as he helped her into the cab, "to hold my tongue. It is one of the few ac complishments I possess." " CHAPTER XV. Claud Tyars had taken up his abode in a residential club in London. This change had been dictated by motives of economy. He said that he found cham bers in the Albany too expensive for a man Who was seldom In London. No one to whom he made this statement was posted as to the extent of his income, and the excuse passed readily enough. He was certainly freer in his new quarters free to come and go when the spirit moved him, and to some extent he took advantage of his newly established liberty. His absences were frequent, but he was seldom away from London for more than a night or two. He frequently ran down to Glasgow, and once to Peter head, where he spent two nights. One morning in early December he was partaking of a very hearty breakfast at the Wanderers' Club, where he had tem porarily taken rooms, when Matthew Mark Easton was shown in. The Ameri can was also a member of this club, which was, singularly enough, composed of mem bers of some university or another, duly qualified by the power and means to sat isfy the cravings of a roaming spirit. Without a word he threw down upon the breakfast table a letter, of which the envelope had been torn. Tyars was quite equal to the American in quickness of thought. Preserving the same stoic si lence, he tossed across the table another envelope Identical in every way, and ad dressed by the same hand. Then he con tinued his breakfast. Eastern spoke the two words: "Wednesday week." "Yes; Wednesday week." "The night," said Easton, "that we fixed for Guy Fawkes." "Yes. We must have the meeting on Tuesday night. We must go to this." Tyars laid his hand on the lettei. The American's quick little eyes were danc ing over his whole person, even to the tips of the quiescent brown fingers. "Must we?" he inquired. Tyars looked up sharply. n "I do not believe," he said, "that you appreciate the importance of Oswin Grace." "Good sailor man !" answered the American, "but too many women folk. They will give us trouble." "Grace is worth It. He is something more than a good sailor. I cannot do- fine It, but he has something which makes him just the man I want." Easton was silent. He had a great re spect for his big, calm Englishman; the sort of respect that one has for anything larger than one's self In the way of an animal. "Well, then," he said, "we will go, shall call the meeting on Tuesday week at my rooms as before. It Is the last full meeting we shall ever have. With that he rose and held out his hand. When he was gone, Claud Tyars turned to his breakfast again. He spent the morning at the docks, and in the at and Captives ternoon returned to bis rooms tired and rather dirty. In 1 few minutes all signs of fatigue and work were removed, and he set off on foot to call at Brook street, one of the best dressed men in Piccadilly. There was a sailor-like frankness In the way In which Salter, the admiral's butler, opened the door when the visitor was fortunate enough to find any one at home. The formal threshold question was dispensed with by the genial welcome or the heartfelt sorrow expressed by the man's brown and furrowed face. He welcomed Tyars with a special griw and an ill-concealed desire to grab at a forelock now brushed scrupulously back. Salter had always endeavored through life to adapt himself ungrudgingly to circum stances, and he succeeded fairly well in remembering on most occasions that he was a butler, but his love for all marin ers was a thing he never fully managed to conceal. Land-lubbers he tolerated now, and he liked a soldier, but his hon est, dog-like heart went out to all who, like himself, loved a breeze of wind and the sweet, keen smell of spray. There was a bond in mutual love, whether It be of dog or horse, of sport or work, of land or sea, and Tyars always felt an inclina tion to shake honest John Salter by the hand when he saw him. To these feelings of sympathy must be attributed the fact that Tyars forgot to inquire whether the admiral were at home. That some one was to be found upstairs in the drawing room was obvi ous enough from Salter's beaming coun tenance; but the maritime butler omitted to give particulars. Thus it happened that the surprise was mutual when Tyars and Helen Grace fdlind themselves face to face aloue in the drawing room. She had been seated at a small table near the window and she rose to receive him, without, however, moving toward the door. He came forward without appearing to notice a slight movement of embarrass ment on her part, and shook hands. Most men would have launched into unneces sary explanations respecting his presence, his motive for coming, and his firm re solve to leave again at once. But Claud Tyars occasionally took it upon himself to Ignore the usages of his fellows. . "I have much pleasure," he said, with grave jocularity, "in accepting your kind invitation to dine on Wednesday week; and I am yours truly, Claud Tyars.;' Helen laughingly expressed her pleas ure (hat he was able to come, and return ed to her chair beside the little table. She was quite her gentle, contained self again. The signs of embarrassment, If such they were, had quite disappeared, and she asked him to find a chair for himself with just that modicum of famil iarity which one allows one's self toward the intimate friend of a brother or sister. This he did, frankly bringing a seat near er to the small table. "If," he continued, "it will be- any sat isfaction to your hospitable mind. I will disclose the fact that my friend Easton is also able to avail himself of your kindness." "I am glad," she said, glancing across at him with those gravely questioning eyes of hers, which somehow conjured up thoughts of olden times, of quieter days when there was time to think and live and love. "Mr. Tyars," she continued, "I have an apology to make to you." He looked at her without speaking for some moments. In another man oik would almost have suspected a desire to prolong the contemplation of a very lovely, shamed face. "For what?" he said at length. "For disliking you I mean for begin ning to dislike you. I don't I that was at first." "I wonder," he said, with quick mer cy, "if you know why you began by disliking me." "I think I do." He smiled and turned away his eyes rather suddenly. There , was a paper knife lying on the table, and he took it up, subsequently balancing It on his fin- ber, while she watched him with vague and mechanical interest. "Tell me," he said. "Jealousy." "Ah !" He glanced almost furtively toward her and caught a passing smile.. It was now his turn to look ill at ease. She maintained silence In a determined way which somehow threw the onus of the pause on bis shoulders. At last he threw the paper knife down on the table with a clatter. "You are right," he said, almost blunt- "I have acted like a coward." "And you are not a coward?" He raised his eyebrows. The glance of her eyes as they rested on his great, stalwart frame canceled the interroga tion.- "I have never thought so until now." She shook her head with rather wistful smile. "Then I have reason," she said, "to be jealous. You are drawing Oswin away from me?" Before replying he rose, and during the rest of their conversation he never took a seat again, but continued moving about the room with a certain strange restlessness wnicn is very uncommou In big men. "What Is your mission?" she asked, Again he stopped. He stood before her with his strong arms hanging motionless, his great brown hands halt closed and quite still, as they always were unless actually at work. He certainly was a picture of strength, a perfect specimen of the human animal, as he had called himself. "Arctic exploration," he answered. mean to reach the north pole some day:" It happened that Helen knew a good deal about Arctic matters. The admiral had been bitten by the strange craze In his younger days. Like many others, he bad for a time given way to the spirit of exploration which Is hidden somewhere in every Englishman's heart. Every book of Arctic travel yet printed was to be found in his smoke-scented den, and Helen had read most of them. She knew, therefore, what the end w-ould be. To hear a man say tiiat he intends to reach the north pole is one thing; to know what he is talking about and believe in his intention is quite an other. To Helen Grace tho fuller knowl edge was given, and she sat looking at Claud Tyars with a dull anguish in her eyes. "And you want Oswin?" she whis pered. He did not answer, but turned away as from something that he could not face, and stood by the window, looking down Into the street. He stood beside the window, not mov ing a muscle. All this had been thought out. This interview had been foreseen. Oswin had asked that he might break the news to his sister and father, but Tyars had claimed the right himself. His was the onus, and his must be the blame. There was no desire to shirk responsi bility; Indeed, he seemed to court It. Helen Grace must be deceived it was a contemptible thing to do aud he would have none other but himself. He stub bornly took it all upon his own shoul ders. "I suppose," said Helen at last, "that he wants to go." Of course, was the answer. "What sailor would not? But I persuaded him the fault Is all mine." She looked up sharply. "And Mr. Easton?" she inquired, with keen logic. "Yes, yes; but I chose your brother. The matter rests with me, and the blame." "What has Mr. Easton to do with it?" she asked ; and he knew that she was al ready prejudiced against the American. He is getting up the expedition the first one." "And. he goes with you?" "No," replied Tyars; "I have already told you he is physically incapacitat ed." She gave a little laugh a very un pleasant laugh for a man to hear from the lips of a woman. Fortunately Mat thew Mark Easton was spared the cru elty of hearing it. I like you," she said, "for telling me. Ibere were so many other ways of doing it so- many easier ways for you but you chose to tell me yourself." To this he said nothing. Despite his capable air, despite an unusual rapidity of thought which took the form of action in emergencies, he was not able to reel off glib phrases at the proper moment. Suddenly her proud self-restraint seem ed to give way. I suppose," she said, softly, almost pleadingly, "that nothing will deter you?" "One word from you would deter me," he said, "but I do- not think that you will say It," "No," she answered, with a smile; "I am not going to- ask you to let my broth er off." "I did not know how he was circum stanced when I first met him," said' Ty ars ; "I did not know of your existence." "Of course she said, with a little hrug of the shoulders; "I am not going to be silly and stand: in my brother's way. Only It would' have been so much better could you have found some one like yourself without brother or sister, or any one to care much for him. It is not only for myself " hhe stopped suddenly.. There was a moment of tense silence.. Then he slowly approached her until the little table alone separated them. Miss Grace,!' he Bai.d, slowly, "what do you mean?" She was not the kind of woman to resort to subterfuge or useless denial, and she therefore held her tongue. At the same time sho began to feel very help less. With Oswin, with her father, and ith all men whom she had hitherto known, she could hold her own, but with Claud Tyars it was different.. There was in his presence a force which did! not take the form pf words. He merely stood still, and his silence was stronger than any words she had yet heard.. Then he spoke slowly and quite gently: "You must tell me," be said, -wnat you mean. , ' She danced up at him appealingly be neath her Inshes, at bay and yet almost mastered. He softened a little. Unless," he added, "it would be -a breach of confidence." "No." she answered, "it is not that for no one has confided in me but I think " "You are not sure?", he Interrupted, eagerly. j ' "Yes, Mr. Tyars, I am sure. 1I turnnd away again and went to ward the window. She mechanically took up her work, and for some time both were fully occupied with their own thoughts. Tho wt winter day was drawing In before Claud Tyars left Brook street. As he shook hands with Helen, he said; "I had the pleasure ol meeting aiiss Winter the other evening." "Yes," said Helen, "she told me. That' was all but they understood each other A stress upon a single word, a glance a little hesitation, will say so much that cannot be set down In print. The unfinished conversation was termi nated. Claud Tyars knew that there was some one else to watch and wait for Oswin Grace if be went to the Arctic seas. ne had only been In the room an hour ft digmai November afternoon and yet t. ,. difference in his life as he i.ft th. Hior. It does not take long to make a friend. (To be continued.) Granarr with Klevator. Hero's a plan of granary to hold .1,000 Inwhels of grain ; tho walls aro of stone, and an elevator la orningod to work by horse power. VA granary to hold 3,000 bushels will require to 1h 22 feet by 38 foot inside. This will give six bins, size 15 foot by 7 feet, ami 0 foot high. This will nlo ullow for a pas sage across tho middle of the building 8 foot wide, which, will give meess to all of the Was and can be used for donning Riain, us well as storing ftmall imple ments. The lloor should be mixed four feet from the ground to make It dry and convenient for loading grain, as well os to provide for the elevator, and belting below the floor. The wallH be ing of stone, should be 13 feet high; this will provide for 4 feet below the floor, one foot for floor, then 8 feet to the plates; thin will give one foot clear over the bins. There should ;be n stone center wall lengthwise under the floor to carry the floor joists, which will be 12 feet long and jnutdi on middle -wall. To give head room over the t.opv joists the roof should 1m n third pitch. Following Is the required material: 1,250 feet roofing, one Inch. 1,(170 feet flooring, Inch, to bo laid double. GO Joists for floor, 2 Indies by 12 Indies, 12 feet long, 1.000 feet. 10 joists over head, 2 Indies by 2 luetics, 24 feet long, 010 feet. 050 feet InmAwr for bins, one Inch. 20 6tuds,i4 luclies by 4 Indies, 8 feet long. 13 squares shingles. 150 feet Inch lumber for doors. 40 rafters, 2 Indies by 0 Indies, 10 feet long. To arrange an elevator for horse power, a hopper that will hold at least 50 bushel whould be sunk In the floor close to the door and at one side to empty grain for the wagon. The ele vator is an ordinary built elevator with buckets s-tandlng upright and In the rear corner of center bin. The box at bottom of elevator must lie close on the ground to be connected with the deliv ery hopper by a spout, with sufficient siope that the grain will run freely. llie elevator will discharge well above the- uiper Joists Into a hopper In the center of the building, to which a fun nelshaped spout Is attached, that can be- Shifted to deliver into any' of the bins.. The horse iower sliould be plac ed at the end of the granary, and driv en by a belt or shaft, passfn-g through an opening In the wall left for the pur- OBAWABT WITH POWER ELEVATOB. pose. The details can be all worked cut by a mechanic, one essential Is to have plenty of slope for the delivery hopper to box at foot of elevator, even if it should be sunk Into the ground a tittle. Montreal Star. For CaIloued Shoulders. A farmer in North Dakota gives his method of treatment and cure of cal loused shoulders of work horses In the Dakota Farmer, which lie says he has used with uniform success, as follows "I cut a slit In the front part of the collar opposite the callous, then cut another slit at right angles across the first one. I then take out enough of the filling to allow for callous. After soaking face of collar In warm water I lay the front part, where cuts have been made, on a plank or something solid, and pound face of collar where It presses on callous, with round-faced hammer, till a sufficient hollow hat been made. This plan will work whether collar has been used with or without pad. Then when the horse comes in from work I bathe the callous In water as hot as can be borne and paint with idolne. You will find this plan worth trying, and I will guarantee the collar wll not be Injured." Alfalfa Seed. The constantly Increasing acreage of alfalfa and the (high price of seed make purity and germlnablllty of the latter of the highest Importance. Bulletin No. 133, Just Issued by the agricultural experiment station, Manhattan, Kan., treats of alfalfa seed and the various Impurities and defects to which tt Is liable. The methods of testing availa ble to fanners and seedsmen end more elaborate ones practiced at the station are described In detail. The bulletin is lavishly Illustrated and may be ob ITfsl talned free on application. Watch for Seed Adnlteratlona. The work of different experiment stn- tlous lias shown that a largo number of foreign seeds are contained In clover and alfalfa seed, Including the dod ders, which are so destructive to alfal fa, and u largo number of bad weed pests like tho narrow plantain, wild mustard and u host of new weeds. One Impure sample of last year's sup ply contained thirty-two species of for eign seeds, Including both species of dodder, the plantains, many common weeds, three spocjes of Western wteds that aro new In Ohio and as muny huropean weeds that have been here tofore unknown In this State. At least a dozen new weeds huvo been Intro duced into Ohio lu alfulfu seed during half as many years. While this Is unacceptable It Is still more so to get only black medlck (yel low trefoil) plants us many huve done, where supposed alfalfa seed was sown. In these times of high-priced seeds there Is temptation to odulternto with heap seeds like tho black medlck, etc., which have very slight value as forr.go plants with us; there Is like dlsposi- tlon to offer seeds with nuinv weed seeds, at low prices. Both these dan gers are renl. Intending purchasers of such seeds will do well to bo assured of their quality. Outlet for Drain. One of the most common n welt (is most efllclent protections for the outlet of a main drain Is a plank box with wlro bars placed vertically arrow thn DRAIN OUTLET. end about two Indies apart. Such a box should be made of 2-lndi plank, 12 feet loiifi and large enough to admit of the Insertion of the tile Into the upper end. A protection of tills kind serves a double purpose. It prevents small animals from entering the drain and will not be damaged by frost. Shipping liar to Dealer. During the last two years a number of rogues In different sections of the country have been offering a considera ble advance on the market price of hay and thousands of tons have been ship ped to these ieope for which the pro ducer received little or no return. Wlt'h hay, as with other articles of farm produce, It is usually best to sell it as near home as possible. In every fann ing center there are reliable dealers who will pay a fair price for such pro ducts and pay spot cash for them. True, they sell them at an advance, but It la almost Impossible for the grower to reach these outside sources of demand, hence be cau better afford to let the local dealer make a dollar or two than he can to take any chances In shipping himself, and especially to people of whom he knows nothing. The writer yearly sells his surplus hny to a local liveryman and gets the cash on deliv ery. Opportunities offer to bale It and ship to the city at an advance on the local price, but we have figured' that our labor, time and element of risk In the latter proposition is not warranted by the higher price, so we "let well enough alone," and It generally pay to do -this. Indianapolis News. Preventing Cedar Rnal, The disease called cedar rut, which ppreads to apple trees from cedar ap ples, coimmonly carried on cedar trees, and pasture savins, ihas been Investi gated at the Nebraska station iwlfch the conclusion that spraying with bordeaux mixture will keen) the disease In cheek, making the application when the cedar apples on cedar trees show the orange color, followed with another spraying ten days or two weeks later. ' It Is also recommended to destroy cedar trees or at least to get out the cedar apples for a considerable distance around the or chards. Where spraying ds carried on for apple scab, etc., the same spraying would answer for the rust Thnnder Storms and Soar nfllk. The primary cause of sour milk Is the growbh of certain bacteria that are always very numerous In the air and cannot be kept out of the millk. These are most abundant during damp, 'heavy weather, which usually accompanies thunder storms ; as such weather Is par ticularly favorable to their develop ment. Hence, the popular notion that thunder storms make milk sour. Grubs, In cattle are caused by the gadfly depositing its eggs on the backs of cattle, and the young larvae, after Issuing from the egg, bores Its way through the animal's skin and remains lodged in the cellular tissue until It attains maturity. The grub may be de tected by a swelling of the skin of the animal. The swelling should be squeezed, which will cause the larvae to be ejected. If It is not easily re moved, a small opening should be made In the skin with a sharp-pointed knife, and the larvae may then be extracted with a curved needle. l