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About The Omaha morning bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 5, 1922)
TIIK SUNDAY BKE. OMAHA, NOVKMIIER B. 1922. The World Outside Do Harold MacCruth it Miillinii'J Ifiurt I'm Tliri'f.) I the rmriio Hiwart would hava l n eurit nothing, vvnui no never could understand wm your total ilisapprui nnro after the ship landed- From that hour on noth ing. I, my father' mm. rlo not be lieve that yu caused M death nave Indirectly, a I might have caused It had I rushed In from rump unexpectedly. Vou will rem) lert tlmt In Hint letter lie speak of my going tu rninp and hi doubt that I should ever sen Mm alive again, lie survived, tint shock ror my departure; licit a sudden return would have been dlsastrou.'' Vou forgive?" "J'eiir God, why nol? I under stand sir, I run visualize your stupendous misfortune arid I have nothing hut pity for you. More," Hurirroft ridded, Willi Infinite wl (lorn, "1 Hunt to take the place my father once hnd In your life. We both have lout something, I my boyhood arid you your bent ywim. Vm. u.111 1,.1a i.t mt ionlh, f.n,l I v.lll take of your wisdom. I know my fuiher will look down with hap pines upon such a union." "Jou'ro a good lad," wild Ken nedy, turning nd offering that sin gular smile linncrofl haI seen one l,i for". Of whiit (lid It remind lilrri? "Hut, no. Through my Insane vio lence, I have kllld a infin. I didn't mean to, hut there the deed In, he for (lorl und man. I urn an x con vict. My photograph and my thumb print are In the police archive. Until the governor Interfered In my behalf I hud to account for myself occasionally to tho police." A Stewart, yeH. l!ut Htewart ft. nlhc forever thin night, and enncdy returns. The bitter long lane comes to It turning." Han- croft' tone were thrilling with cagi-men. "I low eaHlly youth ran throw off these things! Vou have hope, ' dreams; I have only tragic rccolb a thins. My frlendnhlp would only embarru you. I am always meet ing aonio. one who was up there when I wn." "In a little while, air, all this will become n a had dream. An old fHHhioned boy, thin, with hi lr. Kennedy aenxul a atrange yearning, warming him a ho had not been warmed In many year. Hllaa' boy, offering hi hand to the man who, -given the chance, would have klll'-d the father! Marine:: all thcHe years he had been cunning ly mad and had not known It. Hut had sanity, actually returned- Was ho Mt ill hitewart, or wa h once more Kennedy? He galheitd up the Joobcj eheet of the letter, refolded and returned them to the envelope. Silas had been In prison, too; but for KlluM there had been no reprieve; but had died behind hi barn. To BLACK TOM GROGAN Hlack Tom Grogan shoved his chair back and stood up. He threw IiIb card on the table. ( "I quit," he said. The other players regarded him with some surprise. He returned their look defiantly. He remem bered that a moment later, and all t his eye saw the rough kitch table lit by the swinging lamp overhead. The square of light Illu mined the little living room of Ihe Gallaghers, with its chinked logs. An Iron stove, damped up for the night, still gave out a little heat; the mountain air of the north wned wa sharp after sunset. Hehlndlhe stove slept a shaggy dog. n collie that was Mia. Gallagher pet. Gallagher, a sour looking man, who sat nt Grogan' left, regarded him with disfavor. "He quits," mocked Gallagher. "Th' little lad wants to go home!'' Klack Tom Grogan felt a hot re sentment nt the Insult. Gallagher hnd picked on him all through the came. "I'm qulttln" because I'm broke," he ald. "sn" I won't sponge on me friend like some I know!" He stand down at Gallagher, who 1.1. ...!.. I.U and got up. The player were for gotten the ancient and primeval ill sin wa re enacted. In the llltle cabin nu b r Ihe quiet light the two men suddenly became savages They locked nt nrh other muligmir.tlv Hlai W Tom Grogan In rordumy and flu. ml hhlrt towered up t h' full l( f.'.t 111 1-ient mop -f Mm k hlr ci a hil. w over a itmtltr f ice such n i-fttn fli d In (VnrnuFht M Ve (, illniir r ID i,iii.r mm sivl kh.il.r wih nil dv f,i-e niol r.hl -di hiir He w ar n ,,.l ll't.. w. V t it . i -I I v nt , . l, t. i . t t i m :' .i .. r . . w- t a I I'V .i If In lf. jt . e - (.,',, a,! ....,. i n Hi-I i it I. r i t 1 1 - I '.i i . i ant fit i'i I ,i t -H '. Wt.l- h I! 'r f I i . r . .1 a I H.il . 1 I 'i t. i . . .1 I ....! it i, te t i?f i-o i "v . . I t -f - n e w it.', i i. fit . f .i . t ii, have loved thin boy, and never to have touched hlrn! Kennedy head began to ache; Ma rye became efid n In thlr Rocket. Thus the two formed a tableau of scvontl minute)' duration, end the Imaginative; nurid returned to iPn qulct l!uicroft'a rum. Houu-wiu re ah 'Ve Nancy wan dobbin?, "May I keep till letter for a few days?" uskrd Kennedy, turning, "(if couriie. J tend It over and over, the way I have dona, I, hi Ron, doubted hlrn, too. Itenicmher that. Hut I wlxli you would listen to me, sir, I haven't anybody. Why not ,i 'rept nie (i a nori? H will renew your Interest In life.'' "A eon?" "And tomorrow we'll go together to old Hniil and make a proper divi sion, Htiell read the letter, lie will understand." 'No, my boy." "Hut, sir, It la my father' will." "I refuiw!, All thl money muni remain your, to do fine thing Willi. I hnvo more than enough for a brok en man like rnyeelf, I can't aerept your generoHity, nolther of puio nor of hand. Hut If you will let nie nee ymi once In while for a little talk. Keep my book, the porce lain, and the rhalre; you are fond of them. Your father, In thl letter, tell how he uned to come down at eight for a drink of water and find you rurled In a chair, under the lamp, reading. Poor Slla, who couldn't put hi arm around hi win!" "Hut you, lr, might." "Good Ood, let be with klndne! I can't tand It! Kather curee me; for there were hour when I thought of torturing you beraue I could not torture your father." "Hut all that la now tone out of your heart, lr." "Who know? But there I one favor I shall ak of you. Keep me by you thl night I'm a little afraid of myelf. Perhsp If I might upend the night In the old limine" "Vou ehall Uy with me, lr, o long aa you pleaae. That' Juet what I want. Tomorrow will be a new day. You will not ee thing tomorrow a you ee them now." "I'erhap," Kennedy rose. Out of a pocket he took a key, "She 1 upstairs, over thl room. Go to her. Meanwhile I'll go for a taxlcab. Take your time. Ask her to for give rny roughness. Bhe didn't whim per, though." "She'll forgive when h under stands, fine' that kind." "And your kind, too." Bancroft grasped the key, but Im mediately wrung the hand that had offered It, -Then he raced to the door and was gone. Kennedy could player and chair were hoved back ua some got to their feet. They were too late, for luddenly the two men truck out at each other violently. Then a tresm of life and fire aeemed to animate them. They leaped In and away and In again, All the men Jumped to their feet alarmed, but Indecls Ive. The combat had broken out so suddenly that no one wa actu ally prepared to Intervene. How ever, calls, cries, and protests were heard, but above these came the smacking sound of fist thudding on flesh, and the rush of feet over the hoard floor. The two big men circled and spun and ducked. "Stop It!" called Jim Farrell, ad vanelng. "Stop It! Ye'll wake Mr. Gallagher an' " Kven as Farrel spoke he saw that nntethlni; had happened to Gallagher, who wa lifted from the floor and flung bodily backward. He went down with a crash thnt shook the house. The Iron rat tled on the stove aa Ma head hit It. A small shower of sit droped down out of th misplaced stovepipe. The fight stopped a suddenly at It had begun. Hlnck Torn Grogan, standing In the cen ter of the room, atnrted down at the huddled man on the floor. Itow hnd It come shout? II hurdlr knew. Uk mi many hinlii In hi life, the fight had ecm on him suddenly, and he had acted with out knowing why. ' IP head hit th t(H. Thy(i I In, d out It." tailed frrl from wiwr he kiifll by th fahVn aian. '"lh nilsuM la (Miming down." num. I mmlti.r vole. rrrrll row ai d iHinu to Grirss. taking h'ni ty v, mm "Ye'd IWttr fu how.'" t, (mi.1 Tl.ie murmur f li"l l M wnrds nr.gan l l to th 4't. ni d i. ut i. t th -r k. VMu-1 ). it, i'. run I.. ui w.ia t t a 1 tin luii.i. i r.ai. i 4 at ! iu )'y II, 'I t,iu.i tk tita Ti ' !' t i..i t,f luu.tfr i h i .i'. tK ht at it. . . t ifc r-t .. . i In ur hlrn thundering up tlm far. Voiiih! thought Hie wreck. Youth and love and money. Well, why Hlwnililn't llil boy have them a li"t what hi faiher urn! Ill f iiher'n fi ll ic hud suffered? To biilaiico I he xcalr l,y piling happl in a ill". n Hum boy, Thai Icilei ! The will of tlm man, to have Hum renolutely net u broken body acainxl the pirciigih of fate, rind to have won, by denying hliu elf of all that made liro worth llv iiuf. To have built up a fortune wllh one hand, while he held death at bay ulili I he other. Never put ting hi iirtii around (lie Hon he loved, in vi r' vlHliliig (tin grave of hi wife lie had tulorcri, for fear hi heart would not urvlve It! The lodeiii i lalile monotony! Held to life by a noble Idea. And what of I'hiu le Jwcmlah Kennedy, who hud mt iiuider to flouilah in his heurt? The one in III mbforluiie to re ronHirurt; t ho other to dexlroyl An hour - GO minutes; and In thl nhort space of timo worlds crum ble arid anlnh; universe rearrange It; If. An hour gone ho hail la-en uilva with venomous hate, burning wlih It, sustained by II, for nearly . '10 years. And now, a if the win ter wind had blown through hi body and purged It of It fever, he stood ri empty and barren a this room. Nothing to live for, nothing to go on wllh; done. The world hud shifted from under hi feet and the sky had passed from over his head; hn hung In empti ness. A queer sensation, this, of be ing nothing. ), he could not meet the boy half way; not now; much as he wanted to. Thing were too rloM up. Twenty years, with a Mingle thought, a single puipoe; a man cannot come clear of old pitch In so short a time a an hour. Humanities would have to flow into hi empti ness first. Kennedy could not uulte get away from the notion that his vital were gone out of him and his ribs a shell. lie made his way to a window, where he could see tho stars. "Mary, what shall I do? I am, . or was, a, potential murderer. I have In these year killed Hilaa a thousand times. The tortures I In vented for that sublime man, whose only fault wns that he wanted to make me rich! What shall this wreck, who was once your lover, do? How shall he make his amends to God? You always warned me that some day I should suffer for not learning to (tirb my temper. Hut there never seemed to me any thing to curb. I could not antici pate the outburst. They were on me and gone before I was really aware of it. And God know, I open the door and entered. The men were asleep, a he could hear. He sat down one edge of hi bunk, took off hi shoes and clothes and turned in. A moment later he was iilsecp himself. It seemed as If but a minute hail passed when some one was shaking him. Thinking it wus the cook rousing him up for breakfast, he rolled out half dazed and reached for his clothe. Hudili nly ho saw that it wa Farrell with another man who had been at the card party, lie stood up. "Come outside," whispered Far rell. With out a word, wondering for childlike he had forgotten the events of yesterday, he followed theiu. Farrell led hlrn a few rods from the house and spoke abruptly. "Gallagher's dead," he said. "We've coine lo warn ye. None of u Uilnk you're to blame beyond lielng drunk Hut If they'so trouble ye'd bettn take to the woods." Ttl.1i k Tom Slaied ut thed Ililf.g ores before him. Dead! The word shocked him into Instant apprehen sion, but he found It hard to believe that he, Tom Grogun, had killed a man. The three stood In awkward silence. Alsuit them spread the first faint graynes of tho dawn, Farrell wa speaking sg.un. "Just tell us where ye want gruli brought and we'll see p-'rn taken care of, lluw about the Flat limit at the lower end of l.oet I'lind'"' It II do," loniiil leil Gi.,l;,.n Hi mind w fir from giuh. Farrell shook hi hand with a gesture of ( oi.f.d. rire Mint uiol-i-t Hiding- "It ui an mri'l. ul Tom. W all un h riand th.tl WVr gm-d a any Juiy mi go and t ik car tf pi" If" The mil. r man shook M h i'.d nnietlj ai d the lii wn '!'. I ;.k 'Dm sto. l J. r a to out In th.i .ivir 'J'he Ml!i-C. i tnv tier I I, I l.nw I.. ! ou r . i f i!,(,i l, H - tl.-lt li.i I ,. ;' ,i Wh'll I '' - tt t lliM( ll ilotll A I U.i t .,, I a w,... U.n l ack h,.,. a , I . t in an-t J - I . 1 1 " k, ... up, " ' '( I n a l. 'I. . i t i i 1 Wl.iiB .., I,,, f ie," 1 ' ' i t it w. ,v ' , , Wa ulHuy sully, it Ma never ih icl'il at you, ,M.uy. You know that. I urn very tiled. All tlm linn, nation lx-i.iiii.ii I uer Wanted In be sip.iiiitid from you m-ulu: erioll;ll money mo that I should be my own mauler. l)o ymi mm mln r that flint year the Iioik moon when we crossed the world lugi-llicr? Then little Miry e.iine nml I had tu tnivil alone, Innocent byHtaud ere! Tin' hoy Is llrhf. Annihilation for Pie and mine, h i man I never knew, never In aid of!" Kenne lv left Ihe w liidow Mini went down Into the street to scotch for a tax hah, lie would have plenty of time, he reiiHiiiK'd. Youth and love! lie shrugged, with a reiur rein .! of hi old Ironic iimtiwmi nt. A rouiiliy boy arid a comic opera oilbrette! Well, she was clever and sweet and wholesome; the boy might go further und fMi worse. The shade of Chillies .leremlah Kennedy hunting the street for a t.mlcnh! Meantime, Jliincroft, thrilling to the last corpUMcle In his body, cour ageous to the point where' ho would have denied all Ihe world to keep him from that door, opened it with "curb excitement and violence that It slammed agaliiHt the Inner wall, Setting (Kio a hollow clamor of echoes, "Nancy?" he culled joyously. No answer. Naturally: for the unexpected racket, which did not In the least suggi-Ht to her that she wa being rear ued, had sent Nancy Into a corner, speeehle and terri fied, fche wus bravo enough, but the dark, the previous silence, the queer madman who had locked her In, and this sudden hubbub, scat tered the remnant of her courage Jt I I, J.rry Jenmlah!" fUill there wa no answer. Hut where there wa good reason for the lack: Nancy had fainted for the first time in her life. Huncioff Joy evaporated, and an agonizing fear rushed in fear that she might be dead! With trembling fingers ho struck a match. The head snapped off, d-Hcriblng a glow ing parabola and dying before It reached the floor. He bunched sev eral matches and struck them, and under thl deml torch he quickly glanced about. A bit of white a bird wing on Nancy's hut caught his eye; and he rushed to the corner, Hhe was dead! II" flung aside the matches, carries whi ther they set the house on fire or not, knelt and look Nancy Info his arms, rocked with her rind sobbed (for his emo tional side was still highly suscept ible), and called her all the endear ment he could think of, and asked God to bring her hack: tender and beautiful nonsense; and 'twas a pity Nancy missed It, for Jeremiah would were thrust out, nnd the lumber jacks with yawnlngs and mum blings awakened each other and put their limbs Into garment) that hung on u row of nnlls. They be gan to talk to each other a little and to go outside, where the splash Ing of water in tin basins wit? heard. Illai k Tom wa usually pretty silent In the morning. They knew thl and left him alone as usual. Within half nn hour Ihe seven men were sitting down to breaKffast and Jacques wus gaily flipping pan cake over the stove. Jt was th' cleanup of the. lumber season They were men who had been left there under Charlie Wood to sc: tiling to right before closing the camp. They were having a prctfN good time together nnd Charlie didn't rush them. They at w ith gisid humor, jollying each other while they swallowed enormous quantitle of flap links, bacon and fried jiota lis-, tine of them, an oldish bent limn with a wrinkled, pathetic face, nald little, but hi lip moved now and then nnd he mil' iirti-.-i! to hn l self l.aiiv Ihiliiii w.ii will known miiong the forest peopln a the lunile-i Jack who (in nly hi Id hi prayer. Hornet lines rough fellow hnd ralniih.l or iiiiiiinU.d him Thl w.is thought bad tiixir and bnl link bv nio.it I .any never reiwnt-e-l It. Ill life wit slii.idv lurioil Inwuld 111 to mil i i.inpaiiloli" knew that evn y man iniiot P proach the ni' -ii-ia nf'ir hi own fiiotiioii. I.airv ale alowlv ami IhollHlllf'lllv. Ihe Wholtt i. it in wu prcvnlly -'iinei.l wiHt lh an m of toffee I ;i .oliiill iliwil alokr lu an. I put i ,1 the I lit if II. awit luiiH Ihiiiii Ihe loan llil.I.. i 't il leg unit- t tlx- !.ihlr l-i g an a ta. I nl nut 1 1 gf.il i i f p .i t Hir I a tcf, ',.a to ..i iii ai l p.o. l.. H k T on I . i.. 1 a i.: ! .. i I l t wn to. i,i .ll li iiiii to I t ..t In l I) tf Jli loi'f I ha w. i.' l ,1--, 1 to li, 1. 1 iUf Wo.-I lb' ill I i . i i.i . .. r- H l - . ,i l I . , lli I 1 k . . !. i . , ll ii ' I .- a!w.u . f ,) lv , v ,. vl I' lit. M '. ,-r I luliieiiillK, ,(l ;IHf,ur fi ar he ni w,ih it was a wmnler that hi,. llil cine h.n l, ,i t:(;hlv I,, her. Thai which MinuM ,.,. tin- Ion,.- ,i,li i,f r, (, niiiK i Ver held bun loll. Pel W,H ii, ( ,, I I Zed H iHp fm himili. Nhe trur"l' il. llil l ici.ixi .i. her ennui ii'iiHiii mi ,-, Oil If. Mo- knew w ho It "Not - nut so t '. N.ini)! I d. ad!" wjm U h i hi hi her. mui. jerry thought you wire "r'oohsh of me t f.ijni h.,i ,. a noise! I knew you would ...inc." For a little while thnt v.a all; except thul she put her arms aiound h neck, In, mi,,. fifluruR. they would have been perfedlv u-, b is. And so they rented. In the b-,i utiful d irk (hut i-rstwhlle hud I,. en . full of rneriiK e. " you care a little?" he imked, trembling. Her arm she n,ght have put around 111 perk out of fear. "More than I ever thought I could for any man. Cut I didn't know for sure until they came to nie With Ihe lie that you weie hint. I thought you had been set upon again. 1'oor boy; you're going to have your hand full nf me!" It flashed Into his head, srnlghtly, that it wn we enough for th present to have his arm full of her; but he did riot utter the Jet: such words would be sarrthfi.. Mo an other stwll of sdene ensued. "Was It a dark a Ihls when you Mcied Jenny?" Something In her voice told him that she wan smiling, lie blundered against her ear, lu-r rlirel;, her nose sweet blunders, however hi fore he found her Jin Then he leaned hack, happy and bewildered! She cared! The im . m-II - v., I.lo had happened! He heard her laugh soft ly and contentedly; and he wa never to J:now why, All at once rhe puxhed him aslda i nd struggled to her feet "That in.'idi ian! What ha hecuuir of hlin? Wlieie I he? Can we leave?" "He Is waiting outWilc for us, Nancy. He is no lunger mad, but a subject for all the pity you have In your heart. If Is a long soiy. I may a well fell you .now. Do you mind the dark?" , "No" smiling again. Mind the dark! "I don't mind anything, not even Ihe future, lint, Jerry, you'll have to go lo work." It was his turn to smile. "I'll have a Job tomorrow. Didn't I tell you last night that I had one? This story began many nais .igu." "Where Is your hand, l-iiy?" "Here." I'l'.i In. I ' 1 1 1 ' i luih-'t 1 (i''i,yillit, 15I?. Dp Brian P. 0' Shush tan Ing killed Gallagher. That wouldn't he good. .Stjjl, what, had happi ned had h.-ippined. He was sorry. He would make nticnds if he could somehow. In the hack of his mind half obscure was n grave pagan sense of the lricvitahleiieKs of Hie thing that hud happened. To him it sc. mod rif a piece with the other tragic happenings the tree that fe on Jerry Doyle last year, crushing his lift out the wi-ik lifter he was maiiied. These were thing inex pllcnMe event that must perhaps i ver remain In shadow, myti lies to human sense. , Canadian had once -i.ud to him, pointing up: "Ze m.in above he know why." Illack Tom mind, pci fully ln.i. thy, w.i'i trained by circum-tance to iccept what had happened and to meet with calmness the thing to t done, llreiikfast over, he took the I outside and air.uigiil to bins, telling him nothing of the reason. The men had gone nut to tin- teble to lull h up the hoist, and while they weir there lie swiftly gain-red hi outfit together, fot a,me rrub fiorn J,u iii. , p.ni.r.l it .mi) uh a wiod to JacqiiiH went out of tha i.lbm ami look the tl.nl i-iW.imI l-t I'ond The little lai-e w.ti tlnie n. Ii . Ill the iithcr i.ide of Uiillaghera II it.,1 not. however, runiii on tha wuN io.o that he had wald.d l.it nij,ht. From the lump, i cmp to ..st l'on-1 hii over nub almoet dle lloCh, and the G.ill ildi. r labia -tixsl half w iv, th' i nly il' iii I In the di i p H'.hli I'oili.i. hii Kid fo lti-l it ..'U!C yeiir l' l"H . to .iltll- .l.iiii. I ! tinNi caioi' and l.a.l n.i ii4 into it With hi w.f and ch.UI Ha w.t foil I i f card ai 1 .Hn k.n, and Fl.il'ni tho I'll'- Pol l"Oi.l a ..-.! r for klv t.iit. if tha kind lit.rk ,1.. V .. f ie I II VP lii'l.V 111 ' 1.1 i(o ( I A c , in h id at'-' !! Hi M n . . ii Hi. . w-ilh- It i'-. hr " ok ' " It fi ,.t o . I' ,.(.. t.t !' ' ' ' I " l' le. 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