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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (June 14, 1917)
el_r.. - — ■■■ - .-— The Man Who Forgot ^ A NOVEL By JAMES ITAY, JR. GARDEN CITY NEW YORK DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY 1915 CHAPTER XXXTU—(Continued.) As he passed, the crowds oil the sidewalks became storming, roar ing, frantic lines of white. Rib bons and handkerchiefs filled the air. It was as if, at his coming, the sea of humanity on each side rose toward him like the white crest of a wave. As far as he could see the avenue was fringed to | right and left with the rising and falling soliil lines of white. The tumult of the applause was like the roar of the sea. To his ears the roar of the men’s voices domi nated, and now and then the shrill bravos of the women cut through tiie heavier tone. They cheered him because he had done a great thing. He had called the country to Washington, and it had come. They felt this felt, even, that he had called each one of them personally, and that, while their great motive had been ttair hate of whisky, his voice had been the one to unite them. They had secured their places to look at him, and would fall in lines as the procession passed them. Every few yards he bowed to right and to left, his clean-cut, Wiry figure bending gracefully from the waist. Now and then, passing a high building whose Windows swarmed with humanity, be waved his gauntleted hand. lie Was smiling, and, somehow, so vi brant was his spirit, so intense his emotion, that the men and women, who-lined the pavements persuad ed themselves that lie smiled at each of them in turn. There was about him nothing of theatric. He rode down that long lane of thundering applause, a strong Cian, a brilliant personality, doing simply well the thing lie had planned to do, carrying to fruit ion the great dream that had been bis—the dream at which many had sneered at first, the dream which millions now loved. Twenty yards behind him were the two bishops in a carriage, and behind them five hundred little girls in white. After that came the apparently endless line of inarching men and women— the singing clubs, delegations from various states, companies of men, troops of women. And, when the end of the line came, all those who had stood on the sidewalks fell in. He led them to the right of the peace monument and up the road way on the right hand side of the capitol, halting on the east plaza. So nicely had the thing been planned that the marches from North Capitol street flowed into the grounds on tho west front as the agitator’b division had occu pied the east plaza and the sur rounding territory. Those from the east joined the agitator, and Ihosc from the south went to the west of the grounds. On the east side a great band played hymns, and the people sang. On the west side a singing elub sang “My Country, 'Tis of Thee.” Back farther, on the ed ges of the crowd, other hands played. The agitator dismounted on the plaza, and, going back to the car riage, escorted the two bishops to the top of the east steps on the House end of the building. There, at the front of the stand, among senators, representatives, and men and women who had spent years, some of them a lifetime, in the fight for prohibition, the vener able Bishop Rcxall took his seat. Smith, leaving him, went with Bishop Fraydon through the building to the west front. There were to be no speeches. “On that day,” Smith had said weeks before, “we will pray to God and command congress.” There was no program, save the bishops were to offer prayer, and the people were to sing and tc stand there, a commanding army enveloping the home of the gov eminent, until they saw the sigi; that what they' asked had beet granted. The sign to be the run ning of a huge white ribbon to the top of the flagpost over the House end of the building. In the line that followed Smith a fat man had ridden alone in s carriage. It was Vetter. He was far enough to the froth to catch the thunder of applause that greeted Smith and to watcl the glow the leader’s passing hac I 23 left in the faces of the thousands ,on the sidewalks. There was up on his face, also, a glow. “ Ilow they love him!” he thought, ‘‘it is wortli living to have seen this.” lie, like the others, loved him. That was, he reflected, the secret of the agitator’s great gift of leadership. The man’s spirit had reached out and charmed a na tion. CHAPTER XXIX. John Smith paced to and fro in Crawdlor’s committee rooms. After escorting Bishop Fraydon to Ihe west side of the capitol, he had gone back into the building, and, taking an elevator, had reached the subway that leads from the capital proper to the building occupied by -the offices and committee rooms of most of the representatives. Walker, who had been close to him ever since he had arrived at the east plaza, had protested. “No,” the agitator had an swered, “this is the proper thing to do. This is a demonstration of the strength of prohibition sen timent in this country. There are friends of mine in the crowd. In their excitement some of them might be tempted to try to make it a personal triumph of mine. That would not do. You know it wouldn’t.” For that reason he had effaced himself from the scene. The room in which he waited the result Crawlor’s motion to have the House pass the national prohibition measure faced the in ner court of the big building from the first floor on the south side. lie had opened one of the big win dows and, even at that distance, with the other side of the huge structure towering between him and the vast throng, he could hear faintly the bands and the sing ing. There was upon his face a shadow of the smite he had worn while riding down the avenue. He felt nothing but supreme confi dence in the outcome. The weari ness he had known for the past few days had fallen from him. He was at his best, brave, brilliant, tuned to the top of his wonderful ener gy^ Suddenly the singing and the music of the bands stopped as if the great voluinn of uoise had beep cut by the stroke of u knife. He knew what that meant, the dead silence. Crawlor had risen at his place in the House and put the motion, and, at a signal, the two bishops, holding tjieir hands aloft, had begun their prayers for its passage. He stood by the window- silence all about him save for the plash dug of the big fountain in the cen ter of the courtyard. He know, as well as if he had seen it, the tremendous effectiveness of those prayers—the bared heads of the thousands of men, the bowed heads of the thousands of women, the quiet of the children. The singing began afresh. He stood and watched the foun tain, a tall column of water moved slowly by the breeze until it looked like a big, new flower hanging in the air. He thought cf the figure of a woman swaying in a doorway like a reed moved by the flow of cold and heavy wat ers. Whore was she at that mo ment 1 How had it gone with hert He wondered if there was in her hear one-half the fierce hunger for love that he felt. He had not seen her since that day in her home when the Leslie woman had told her story. But he knew that she waited for him, expected to see him that evening. Walter had brought him that message from her. And yet, there was the immut able fact: lie could not claim her, had nc right to permit her to come him. When could he throw off the ehaims that bound hunt Would he eveh know his own past! His thoughts went to Vetter. Yes; he would go back to Vetter at once and take up again the weary heart breaking work of trying tc find something, some light, how ever faint, to pierce the darkness behind him. If only Vetter eould He threw back his shoulders with a swift movement and looked up to the blue sky and laughed. — “Vetter can! he said to him s<lf. “Vetter must! Vetter will! It will come right! It must.” The corridor door was flung open, and Waller rushed in. En thusiasm at last had him by the throat. He even had forgotten his cane. “Old man,” he shouted, “it's | marvellous, immense! I never sa\f anything like it. You’ve got ‘era—got ‘cm sure!” “Give me the news,” Smith de manded swiftly. “They’ve just started to call the roll.” “How was Crawdlor? Was he very effective?” “You bet lie was! He stood up, tall, powerful looking, pale with excitement. “ ‘Mr. Speaker,’ he said, ‘I rise to offer a privileged motion.’ “ ‘The gentleman will state it,,’ said the speaker. “ ‘Mr. Speaker,’ Crawdlor came back amid a stillness throughout the House that was spooky, ‘I move that the committee on amendments to the constitution be discharged from further consider ation of the resolution providing for an emendment to the federal constitution lor nation wide pro hibition in the United States, and that the House, without further delay, proceed to vote on my mo tion to pass the resolution.’ “lie said that in a way which foretold victory. He said it in such a way that everybody went raving, stark mad. In the galleries and on the floor you could hear the rebel yell, the Yankee yell, and every other kind of a yell. Members and spectators had hysteria. Men were pounding each other on the back. You couldn't hear the speaker’s gavel. Some of the women in the galleries were screaming. Men stood up and shrieked without knowing that they were shrieking. It took 20 minutes to quiet the members and the galleries. The thing showed, once and for all, whether people hate whisky.” Smith drew a deep breath. “It must have been very fine,” he said, something like reverence in his voice. “And all those thousands and thousands of people on tin; out side!” Waller’s dramatic descrip tion rushed on. “You couldn’t see them, and you couldn’t hear much more than a whisper from them, there in the chamber of the House. Hut their spirit was there. And it was a highty thing. It was as if they reached out and touched con gress with their hands. You were right when you said they would pray to God and command con gress. That’s what they did. That is what they are doing now—mak ing the House of Representatives adopt that Crawdlor motion!” “How long will it take to call the roll, to get the complete vote ? ’ ’ About 40 to f)0 minutes. But it's a foregone conclusion. We’ve won. We’ve won, I tell you!” Waller slapped him on the back. “I know we have. I knew’ wc would,” Smith said quietly. “Yi j,” Waller agreed. “That’s what got me th»* first time I talked to you. You knew this thing would win. By George, you’re a wonder! ’ ’ Smith looked at him a moment a little wistfully. “Am I?” he asked. Waller knew he referred to the Leslie woman’s story, which, al though it had not hurt him in the fight for prohibition, remained as an obstruction which he could not put out of the path of his happi ness without regaining his mem ory. “You’ll beat that, too!” the writer assured him. “Why, you can beat anything!” His tone changed. “I wish I could find that blushing rose, that uncalloused conscience, that perfect man, the Simpson individual. He knows about you.” Smith, ignoring that suggestion, asked: ‘ ‘ Have you seen Miss Mallon to day?” “Yes,” Waller replied a little reluctantly. Smith noticed the hesitation. “What is it?” he inquired quickly. “Well, to tell you the truth, I think she’s hiding around some where, waiting to be the first to congratulate you when the vote is announced. “In this building?” “I believe so.” “What room?” Waller laughed. “Say, now,” he protested; “don’t pump me any more. I re fuse to disclose a woman’s plans. Besides, what’s the use? She’s so apt to change them, you know. ’ ’ The corridor door opened again, this time to admit Senator Mallon. “May I come in?” he asked, hesitating. “Certainly,” the agitator in vited him. Waller turned to Smith. * “I'm going back to the press gallery. I’ll come back with the figures on the vote.” He rushed out, leaving the door open. Smith could hear his foot falls far down the corridor as he ran. The senator came farther into the room. “Mr. Smith, good afternoon,” he said, speaking with difficulty, even diffidence. “How do you do Senator?” Smith answered him coolly. “I have come,” Mallon went on, “to thank you, if you will permit me.” “To thank me? For what?” “For your unusual generosity.” The senator was beginning to strike his ordinary, suave conver sational pace. “For the past week Washington has been crazy, abso lutely crazy, about this whisky business. Several men have had their careers cut short by being identified with the whisky inter ests. I—I have to thank you for my escape.” “No,” Smith corrected him, his voice still cool. “You have your daughter to thank.” ■ “At any rate, I felt that I must come to express my gratitude—to you.” | “ Was it gratitude, senator,” the agitator asked, his tone tinged by contempt, “or was it fear?”' He made a swift, deprecatory j bow, and added: “I should not j have said that to Miss Mallon’s father.” i The senator bowed. “Politics is polities,” he said smoothly. “The great trouble about whisky is that there isn’t anything you can say in favor of it in a stump speech.” “Yes, that’s true.” “And I’ve got political sense enough to know that no man who wants to stay in polities can vote against your prohibition people any longer.” “You mean,” Smith asked in surprise, “that you’ve come over to us?” “I mean I’ve been driven over to you,” the old man explained. “Every big thing bus two kinds of men on its side—those who vote from conviction and those who vote from fear. You were right just now. Mine is one of the ‘fear votes ’. ’ ’ “ But the country will know the difference.” “The country’s too busy to bother much about motives,” Mal lon gave it as his opinion. “What the country wants is results.” “I wouldn’t be too sure about it in a thing of this kind, because _> t “Oh, well,” the senator inter rupted, “that will have to take care of itself. After the Senate does what the House is doing now, and the resolution has passed both bodies, it will have to be ratified by the legislatures of 36 states. When the tight is made in my state—if there is any fight—you'll find me with you. That’s all there is to that.” He hesitated a mo ment. “There’s something else I wanted to speak to you about.” “What is it?” “Confound it all!” he ex ploded, “I wish you’d tell me who yoi3 are. I wish to thunder I knew what it is you’ve done.” Smith gave him a long, sharp look. “Senator,” he said earnestly, “I don’t know.” “I wish you did. I wish you’d talk. You see—my daughter-” “Your daughter is still my friend, senator,” Smith cut in quickly. “Please don’t attempt to tell me she is not. ’ ’ Mallon exploded again. “Your friend! I should say she is. If she ever finds out who you are and untangles this Leslie wom an's story, she’ll marry you so quick it will make your head swim! ’ ’ He stepped closer to Smith. “She’s in the next room,” he confided. “She asked me to come with her. I thought I hoped I could fix this up. But I can’t. You won’t talk.” “Senator,” the agitator de manded, “why will you persist in disbelieving me! I tell you alcohol can destroy anything in a man. It has destroyed my memory. I tell you I don’t know who I am. I cannot remember what I was.” Mallon looked disappointed. “Then,” he said, “that’s all. It’s ended. My daughter can’t marry a man who already may have been married. That’s a dead sure thing.”' He put his hand on the knob of the door on the right, leading into Crawdlor’s larger office. “No, it isn’t ended,” Smith said with great determination, and fol lowed Mallon. “I must speak to Miss Mallon!” (Continued Next Week.) The Ignited State* hast no national flower, but efforts have been made to have the gohlenrod adopted. This flower is abundant through an enormous .area of the continent. Elections In'Land of Nippon. Tlie Japanese people are satisfied with the result of the election of April 20, but agitation regarding expense at tending a canvass for a seat in parlia ment Is renewed. The same argument is heard as those after the last gen ; eral election, according to East and West. The Cliugai fsbogyo estimates the cost of GOO candidates at not less Hum $2,040,000! This is more than representatives in the United States expend, but senators have been known to pay half a million for seats In that body. The Uhugal says the govern ment spent .$200,000 for supervising ! tb»‘ election, which, to Americans, will appear moderate. This sum includes | “stumping trips” through Hie country by cabinet ministers; members of the opposition paid their own expenses. ; The editor rpgrets tlmt so many men ! entitled to vote fall to exercise their j high privilege. Repeated dissolution i of the diet not only causes political j disturbances, he argues, but imposes heavy financial loss upon the nation and upon individuals. 4 PAIN? MOT A BIT! j LIFT YOUR CORNS f 1 OR CALLUSES OFF I • — - - i • i t No humbug! Apply few drops i ? then just lift them away 1 • j i with fingers. i ? * i This new drug is an ether compound discovered by a Cincinnati chemist. It t.3 vuiuu j. i. vcouiiv, nuu v. a u now be obtained in tiny bottles as here shown at very little cost from any drug store. Just ask for freezone. Apply a drop or two directly upon a tender corn or callus and instant- i ly the soreness disappears. Shortly you will find the corn or callus so loose that you can lift it oft, root and all, with the fingers. J Not a twinge of pain, soreness or irritation; not . even the slightest smart ing, either when applying Si freezone or afterwards. j |! This drug doesn't eat up jjjij the corn or callus, but [ | shrivels them so they loos jj! eu and come right out. It lj is no humbug! It works I like a charm. For a few a........ ... i ery hard corn, soft com or : corn between the toes, as well as pain ful calluses on bottom of your feet. It | never disappoints and never burns, ! bites or inflames. If your druggist hasn’t any freezone yet, tell him to get a little bottle for you from his wholesale house.—adv. Then Silence. They were dancing merrily, this young man and the young woman, and were talking of nothing at all, when suddenly the girl asked : “Have you enlisted?” “No,” answered the youth. “Haven’t you joined the Otticers’ Re serve corps?” “No, not yet. I haven’t thought much about that sort of tiling.” “Haven’t you done anything about the war?” “No,” the youth replied. Whereupon the girl stopped danc ing. “1 wish you would take me to a seat. I don’t think I want to dance with you."—Washington Star. WATCH YOUR SKIN IMPROVE When You Use Cuticura—The Soap to Purify and Ointment to Heal. On rising and retiring gently smear the face with Cuticura Ointment. Wash off Ointment in five minutes with Cutl tura Soap and hot water. Continue this treatment for ten days and note the change la your skin. No better toilet preparations exist. Free sample each by mail with Book. Address postcard, Cuticura, Dept. L, Boston. Sold everywhere.—Adv. In a Sense. “I ache all over from working in my garden yesterday.” “Growing pains, eh?” —;-\ The hardest work some men do Is Inventing excuses to keep them from •exerting themselves. The Effects of Opiates. THAT INFANTS are peculiarly susceptible to opium and its various preparations, all of which are narcotic, fa well known. Even in the smallest doses, if continued, these' opiates cause changes in the func tions and growth of the cells which are likely to become permanent, causing imbecility, mental perversion, a craving for alcohol or narcotics in later litif Nervous diseases, such as intractable nervous dyspepsia and lack of staving powers are a result of dosing with opiates or narcotics to keep children quiet m their infancy. The rule among physicians fa that children should never receive opiates in the smallest doses for more than a day at a time and only then if unavoidable. ’ The administration of Anodynes, Drops, Cordials, Soothing Syrups and other narcotics to children by any but a physician cannot he too strono-iy decried, and the druggist should not be a party to it. Children who are id need the attention of a physician, and it fa nothing less thsn a crime to dose them willfully with narcotics. Castoria contains no narcotics if it bears the r signature of Chas. H. Fletcher. /Jr y/KTJTi * ‘ **" Genuine Castoria always bears the signature ol^uz^^J-£c<cAM^ ——■—gasBaaBEa Foresight. Girls Won’t Agree. “When one of those musty thrones ; While we cannot wholly indorse the topples over in Europe do you suppose plan to impose an extra tax on bnch there Is much dust?” eJors, we are frank to say. having been “Not as much ns you might think, one for many years, thnt It is worth it. Most monarehs are crafty enough to —Topeka Capital. put their dust away in n safe plant* be- --... _ . » fore a revolution starts.” When Your Eves Need Care Pain 1* no longer pain when it is g.nJFcEfifffiffi „ i * ■-». ntniss bis uudi co., csiCAua HILIfllEi CUHIM < Produce More Food, But at the Lowest Cost. A trip through most of the grain growing districts of Western Canada, and information received from authen tic sources, reveals that the spring seeding of wheat, barley and oats is finished and the grain is having a most rapid growth. Men of fanning expe rience here say that the conditions are similar to those years when there was an abundant harvest reaped. During the past year a number of new settlers caino into the country, and they will undoubtedly have a good crop this year. This added to the normal acre age, made considerably less by the lack of labor owing to the number who have gone to the front, will give a fair general yield. It is surprising the growth that this country is capable of producing. Wheat has this spring gerinipa?ed\ and shown three or four inches growth In five or six days, and with anything like favorable weather, harvesting should commence about the 15tli of August, or a little over one hundred days from first seeding. Hundreds of farmers throughout this vast country paid for their entire holdings out of one year’s crop and it would not be surprising if the same experience met a great many more this year. The ber-t authorities on the wheat situation give it as their opinion that for tnanv years to come, wheat prices , will be high. They base their opinion * on a scientific calculation and their reasoning seems to be sound. Anyway, it is quite evident that for some years to come, the producer of wheat will he amply rewarded for any effort ho may make to develop this branch of agricultural industry. Money may be made on the high-priced lands of the wheat-growing districts of the United States, but it is a question if these high-priced 1; nds would not be more profitably employed in other branches of farming than in growing the smaller grains, leaving it to lands just as jtro ductive for wheat, less expensive to op erate. and with a much smaller initial price, to provide the world with this necessity of life. Hero is where Western Canada, with its vast rich fertile plains, its low railway rates, its exceptionally good shipping privileges, its excellent climate, and its perfect social conditions, has a com bination of advantages not possessed by any other portion of the continent. Furthermore, these lands, of unex celled quality, are extraordinarily cheap, while for the man who does not care to undertake farming on so exten sive a scale there is the free home stead which offers him all the opportu nity for which he is looking. The prospective purchaser will have no difficulty at all in making a selec tion of a fine piece of land, well lo cated and convenient to transportation, which may be had for from $15 to $25 an acre, and the railway companies or other holders of large tracts are al ways glad to sei! on easy terms. Or if he desires a farm that is a!ready under cultivation and improved, many such are to be had from farmers who already have made comfortable for tunes and are ready to retire. It is not to the grain grower or.iy that Western Canada offers great op portunities. If one wishes to go in for cattle raising, there are great stretches of range land both free and for lease; and in many sections of the country there are the finest of grazing lauds that may be purchased at very low prices. The appeal which has been sent out both by the United States and Cana dian governments, for an unstinted, un limited production of food stuffs to pre vent what might otherwise be a fam ine throughout this great continent— and then consequently, throughout the world—should In itself arouse all tiie ambition and desire in the heart and soul of the man who is not lighting at the front, to produce all he can. In addition, there is the potent fact that no chances are being taken in answering the appeal. Take it from either stand point you answer the country’s call, al though not fighting, and you are also insured against any loss by the high prices that are bound to exist for some time. jWhether it be in rhe'*United States on its excellent grain lands or in Canada on its splendid grain lands, all should do their bit.—Advertisement, “Money makes the mare go,” and al so the dogs of war. WMiiiimn—iiiiiiiiiiii i i i i i i 11»