T5he l'ROJSf HOUSE NOVELIZED BY EDWIN C. HILL FROM WILLIAM FOX’S GREAT PICTURE ROMANCE OF THE EAST AND THE WEST BY CHARLES KENYON AND JOHN RUSSELL iiinam, i nave maue enemies. I know that. They have lied about me from one end of New York to tin* other. Don’t be lieve these stories. 1 suppose I've gone the pace some—a man lias to in my set—hut if you will marry me I'll never touch another card. I’ll he more temperate I’ll go back to my profession- I’ll make you proud of me.” He dropped to his knee, be seeching her with his eyes. “(live me my chance, Miriam I’m wild for you. I’ll wait if you say so, wait for years, but I want your promise. Tell me you will marry me!” Miriam gazed at him steadily for a long time. Finally she spoke. ”1 will give you your chance.” She said. “I will mar ry you—” He leaped to his feet, '‘—not now, not soon, even; for T am too young. I know that and father would never consent; but later, in a year or two, per haps, after you have proved youredf and I am surer of my self as well. Will that content you 1 ” ¥ or a long time lie pleaded, hut under Miriam’s gentleness oils th-> steel of an inflexible resolution, that .lessen could not bend. At the end he accepted her term*. “Do you know where I am going when I leave you!” I am going to se-' Durant.” “Mr. Durant of the new Union Pacific Railroed c o m p a n y!” asked Miriam, who had heard her father mention the New Ifork capitalist as one of the prime movers in the railroad project. “The very man.” replied .les son “I know him well, my father and he were friends. I will ask him to find me a post,” When they parted she per mitted him to kiss her, but the kiss did not fire her heart. It did not thrill her as she had supposed n girl must he thrilled by the tmvh of her lover’s lips. ‘‘And yet I am fond of him— like him letter than any man 1 have ever met,” she said to her self. It was a very thoughtful Miriam who prepared for bed that night. CHAPTER IX ABRAHAM LINCOLN DECIDES Throe days later she received a letter from her father in Wash ington. “The president is to ace me on the morning of July 1,” Marsh wrote. “The Pacific railroad charier as passed by congress is now on the desk. I have an idea that’s what he wants to talk about. The hill aroused bitter opposition from people who think the government should concentrate on winning the war, but l think I know how Lincoln feels. “The tunes are very dark The president is greatly changed, aged, haggard, bowed with care. McClellan lias failed him. I am afraid. Public credit is at a low ebb. The country is full of compromisers and Southern sym pathizers. Even the government departments are honeycombed with disloyalty. But ho is wonderful, our old friend, so patient and resolute, so cheer ful under the terrible burden. He feel's the pain of every wound inflicted on the fields of battle, the anguish of every wife and mother. Yet there are de tractors in plenty who sneer at him as a light-minded trifler telling rustic stories and crude jokes while the blood of the people flows in streams. They can’t understand him here in Washington. They don’t know him as we do. But the day will come when they will fully comprehend Abe Lincoln’s goodness and grandness. “I didn’t intend to write so fully, but I know how much you are interested. 1 suggest that you join me at the Willard on the last day of June; then you can go with me next day to keep the appointment with the president- He has often asked about little Miriam.’ *1 am eager to see his face when he sees wnat a young laily you nave become.” She read the letter to Jesson, thrilling at the portrait Marsh sketched of the lonely man in the White He use. Jesson’s light eyes betrayed interest. “Mr. Marsh seems sure that the president will sign the bill,” be said. “In that event the work should begin soon. They will need engineers. I would be delighted and honored, Miri am, if you would permit me to eseort you to Washington and your father. I missed Durant here, but I could see. him there and perhaps I could enlist Mr. Marsh’s interest. Your father seems to be very close to our re markable president.” “I’d love to have you go .with ma, Peter,” said Miriam. “I want to tell father how interest ed you are in the railroad and how much you’d like to be a part of it. He'll probably ask you to go to the White House with us. It will be wonderful if we can see the president and talk to him ” “To be with you is wonderful enough, my darling,” said Jes son, ardently. “I’m not sure, though, that I am exactly thrilled over the prospect of meeting rhe queer person whom luck has put in the White House. Many of my friends have talked to him and they have a very un favorable impression of the man —he is far from being a gentle man. I’m told he is a clod hopper, with a vulgar strain. Not at all the person one could ask to his home.” hi mam I lushcu. Quick anger stabbed her. Rising temper prompted her to rebuke this supercilious young aristocrat in a fashion to be remembered, but she knew the opinion held of the president by the cultured of the East, by people “who can't understand him,” as her father put it. She bridled her anger and spoke quietly. “You and your friends will change your opinion same day,” she said, “just a.! the great statesman in the cabinet have had to eha.ige theirs. Air. Stan ton told his father that he de tested the president at first, couldn’t bear to speak to him. Now he is the president’s most devoted supporter. The seerc tary of the state, Mr. Seward thought he could put Afr. Lin coln in his place, but Mr. Sew ard quickly found out who was' master. Every man in the cab inet knows that the president is his superior in intellect, Peter He may begin cabinot meetings with a reading from Artemus Ward or with some country joke, but just the same he al ways finds the solution of prob lems that baffle the others, great statesmen though they are ” “You may be right, dear,” said .lesson lightly. “I suppose it s the prerogative of genius to dress like a scarecrow and talk like a farm laborer. If he puts the railroad through and gives us a chance to get rich, why I. too, will sing the praises of our peasnnt king!” Miriam bit her lip over the persistent sneer, but turned the conversation to their forthcom ing journey. A day or two later they ar rived in Washington. Marsh had met Jesson frequently, and neither liked or disliked him Miriam told her father as they drove to the Willard thlt she had accepted Jesson'a proposal of marriage and that they had agreed upon a long engagement. Marsh looked serious. “We will talk about it at sup per, he said. “I shall bo busy all day with the railroad pro moters. We are all pretty much on edge. Amuse yourselves as best you can.' “I must see Mr. Durant,’' said Jesson, and explained his ambition. Marsh nodded, not unpleased “We shall meet then, at sup per,” he said, as he shook hands with the young man and showed Miriam to their rooms. That evening as they dined leisurely, waited upon by au old darkey whose manner was the perfection of solicitous serv ice, Marsh spoke his mind. “Mr. Jesson,” he said, “my great object in life is to insure the happiness of this child, for she is only a child to me. It is for her that I work and plan, for her that I am trying to build a fortune. If Miriam loves you and wants you for a husband, I shall r.ot stand in the way. But if you want her you must wait for her. She is too young to marry. Jt will take two or three years to finish her educ.« tion. Moreover, the times arc dark. None of us knows what the outcome of our hopes and ambitions may be. Half of my little fortune is locked up in government bonds. It may be years before they rise to full value The rest of my capital I intend-to put into stock of the railroad. If the road fails I shall be not much better than a pauper and will have to start all over again, if the road suc eeds 1 hope to be a very rich man.** Wesson s mind worked in light ning flashes as Marsh talked lie had supposed that Miriam's father was already rich. Such lmd been I he impression in New York. Now it developed that Marsh was not Urn possessor of a stable, independent fortune such as would make Miriam an heiress worth while. The girl was lovely, adorable, delicious; hut could he afford to commit himself irrevocably to a doubtful hazard? lie wanted her. She fired his blood. Blit could Pet er Wesson treat himself to the luxury of a penniless wife, how ever beautiful? “Mr. Marsh,” yfiid Peter Jes son, his mind .Kfade up,” in my love for Miriam there is no thought of money. I intend to make my own way. I under stand and sympathize with your feelings. If you think best, we will wait, as long as may be Accessary, always deferring to your judgment.” The little speech pleased Marsh. Shrewd us he was in business matters, he was not versed in the subtleties of such minds as Wesson’s. It appeared to him that Wesson had accepted the situation in manly style, llis estimate of the young man went up. Miriam was conscious of a vague disappointment in her lover. The surface of his words was sensible, prudent, matching her own belief as to the wisdom of a long engagement, hut some how she would have preferred a 1 more impetuous suitor, one whose ardor was loss tolerant of delay- She was quite sure she did not want to marry in haste, but she was equally sure—and the contradiction vexed her —that she wanted Wesson to urge it. She sat silent, thought ful while her father and lover talked about the railroad. Wesson had met Mr. Durant in th-^ after noon had obtained the par tial promise of an engineering post with the Union Pacific. “I am glad that you enlisted his interest,” said Marsh, “but as a matter of fact, you may not require it. I am to he general superintendent. I shall need my own staff of engineers. There is no reason why you shouldn’t have your chance with me.” Jesson thanked him warmly ami the conversation shifted to other topics, particulary the news from the front, or lack of news for there was great disquiet in the capital, with few bulletins to cheer apprehensive people. At 10 the next morning they appeared at the White House and were ushered by the major domo into the reception room for those who had appointments with the president or with Mr. Hay, his secretary, or whose importance was such that they were admitted without questiou to await their turn,* To Miriam the scene in the anteroom was animated and exciting. The long, low chanber was thronged with men who were making history. Her father identified many of these—famous senators, state governors, distingguished soldiers. “There is General MeCellan, up for a hurried visit from the front,” he said, indicating a stiffly erect figure of middle height. Miriam noted the much talked-of general carefully. She thought he seemed very intelli gent but self-willed. His face showed signs of irritation as he responded occasionally to mem bers of a group of officers around him. “The general feels as if he ought to be flowed to walk right in,” said Marsh. “He doesn’t like to be kept waiting.” Oflicers and civilians were , arriving constantly. There -jvas an incessant stir and murmur of conversation. Several gentlemen detached themselves from e group and bowed to her father, lie presented them: “Mr- (Jollis P. Huntington, of San Francis co, vice president of the new Central Pacific company” “Mr. «Juda P. Benjamin, engineer of the Central Pacific”; “Mr. Thomas C. Durant, vice presi dent of the Union Pacific.” Miriam saw that Huntington and Benjamin were obviously men of the west, plainly dressed, very direct in speech, and that Durant was of quite another type, very fashionably garbed, courtier-like in manner cultiva ted in speech. These gentlemen withdrew t* one side to dismiss the railroad with her father. It was plain from their manner and faces that they were at high tension, worried, nerve-stratitied. Miriam’s attention amj/quick sympathies were caught by a woman old and ben'ej pathetic ally shaby. She h ul heard the usiier s low-pitched voice: I 11 do the best I can, madam. I'll send in your name to the president. I cannot say whether he will sye you or not. There are so mivsiy with appointments.” Miriam’s warm heart tightoned ns/she saw tears well in the jlim eyes of the old Avoraaan, and saAv her thin, toil-worn handso tremble as she dabbed a handker chief at Avet eyes. Impulsively, the girl Avent over to the chair and put her hand lightly upon the arm of the sadly troubled figure in dingy black." "If there is anything I can do, she began, gently. My lather and the presided are good friends. Perhaps Ave can say a word for you ” A thin and shaking hand clutched at her own. “Just a word Avith the president,” she said. “Only a Avord. That is all I Avant. It’s for my boy- They re going to shoot him. He Avas found, asleep on duty. He’s only a boy, Miss, no older than you are—my only boy, all I have in the Avorld!” (TO BJ^CONTINUED) — Started Early. Pittsburg Chronicle-Telegram. They were on their honeymoon. He had bought a boaat and had taken her out to show her how well he could handle It. putting her to tend the sheet. A puff of wind and he shouted ir. no uncertain tone, “Let go the sheet! ” No response. Then again: “Let go that sheet, quick!” Still n commercial channels just about as fast nu last year when much lower prices prevailed. In spite of an Increased acreage this spring; inferior eeed and dry wea her Indicate nothing more than a normal crop. Good prices fov the 1925 com crop are confidently expected. r- . Mi, ____ Trends in the Corn Market PRICE PEfil I923-I9Z-4 foz* - '“S” ^ g|°|w crncAQO T1 _r‘ M'LLIONS ; OFWSHCIS 1 i *1.25_\_|_ _ 45 ! A y^SIC tr V 5 l.oo ] , »\ [ f (\ * so | -A-’—t'-rf-r~\—^—\ S~J\ \ / U ' \ * />‘Q1 AXtfis&'pZ'J [ is I I s i I I ▼#50 » . . . ••AR#-HO€#WCH AQIIlCCLTk'MAL POUHOATtOfl O 1.1-i-.l,.i i i i I i-i. i i i.n t i i i i i i jJ_„t Flapper Fanny Says /nmi " ' ..!.W -k Many a queen is a slave to fashion. Tarriff Is Local Issue. From the Lincoln Journal. It Is true, as a correspondent re cently asserted, that the tariff is ceasing to be a partisan political Is sue. The tariff is being taken out of partisan politics by a splitting up of both parties oil that issue. Democratic Louisiana has lor.g voted with the eastern republicans on the tariff. Louisiana h^s a special tariff interest, its sugar. Party lines crumble before a recognized pocket Interest there. With the shifting of the steel and textile industries into the south the democrats grow less ami less reliably low tariff. Meanwhile the republican west, also increasingly regardful of its pocket interest, has developed a set tled dislike for high tariffs. Iowa Jed a revolt 20 years ago against tariffs whose effect was to increase the cost of living In Iowa without in the least increasing Income. Nebraska's republican senator voted against the present high tarifT law. Finally there develops In the very center of the high tarlf? country a powerful low tariff Interest. Ameri cans to whom Europe owes money cannot collect their Interest' and prletpal except In European goods. A high tariff bars out their pay. The bankers of New York utre no longer reliable aides to the manufacturers of the east In their efforts to shut out foreign competition. A point has about been reached where each gegtlon and region views the tariff with clear-eyed regard to Its own Interest. Those Interests do not run at all parallel to party lines. The easy going farmer begins to stand for his pocket Interest, with a little of tile diligence with which the manufacturer has always sto^d for his pocket Interest. Against t'ne clash of Interests which this entails conventional party lines cannot stand. In the Immortal words of General Hancock, who spoke better than he knew, the tariff is now a “local Is sue.” Lost Train Travel. From the Pierre Capital-Journal. Recently tha Grand Lodge of Ma sons met at Sioux Falla and tlier# were saveral hundred representative* fro mevery oornor and section of the state. The railroad companies had granted the usual return reduc tion fare, provided enough tickets were sold to meet the general plan of a 150 or more tickets being sold. Just prior to this meeting the Sunday school convention was likewise held there and the same tlhng applied. The credit was to be given these who attended either body. But there was some consternation among visit ors to both, although more particu larly to the Sunday school people, as The Use of the Flags. From the Kansas City Star. “My curiosity was aroused by observ ing a number of small white flags at tached to poles about the size of fish ing rods, leaning In a fence corner at tha back side of a smalt farm ever yonder In the hills,” said a motorist who was Journeying through the Slip pery Siap region. “Tell you about ’em," replied Lum Da mm. a prominent resident of that neighborhood. "If you come out of the timber at the tuther side of the farm you're e'poeed to take a flag and march right up to the back door of the house." “Then what?” “Then. If you’re a friend you buy some bone-dry lloker, and If you haln't a friend you get shot. It amounts to about ths sara* thin? either war.” many of them were young people and vunitn of generally moderate cir cumstances, when it was learned that there were not enough visiters to either body to get the return fare reduction privilege. This is another striking example of the general serv ice of the private automobile. It shows that but very few now travel by train. In the case of te Grand Lodge of Masons there were only about Bu certificates to he validated and of course there was no use to fi:l out these blanks. Railroad agents and trainmen report that many of the Sunday school people crlttzed the train employes for failure to get their reduced fare privilege. There is no use doing this, but rather it Is a striking lesson that the public need consider a.- to the question of general service by the railroad. When there are not more tan 50 people riding to a Masonic Grand Lodge or a state Sunday school convention it shows that the income of railroads has practically been eliminated compared to former patronage. That New Element. From the Philadelphia Public Ledger. F-ince the solar eclipse informally set-n by millions, a good many per sons are more interested than they would otherwise have been in the possibility of finding a valuable ele ment like helium in the make-up of the chromosphere. Now the bureau of standards at Washington an nounces. as a result of the study of tiie eclipse data, that the existence of foronlum is fairly well established. Helium was found in the solar spec trum in 1808, at the time of a total eclipse. It was not discovered on earth till 1&95, when Ramsey deter mined its presence in a Norwegian mineral clew-ite. Another observer, in the same year, found It in the air. J.et us hope It will not take three decades to locate coronlum at a closer range than the fiery mantle of the central orb of the sun and that a use may be discovered for the gas es important as that of helium, which bus provided a noninflammable sub stitute for hydrogen in the naviga tion of dirigibles. Exertion Discloses Flask. From the Docket. One Elswiek was throwing halls at a doll rack. There was nothing wrong in doing that. He apparently exerted himself to the utmost. There was nothing wrong in doing that. Still, Elswiek would have fared better had he Indulged In some less strenuous pastime. One of the spec tators was a deputy marshal. This was the situation when the movements of Elswiek caused the tail of his coat to rise and hang over the neck of a bottle carried in his hip pocket. The liquid contents of the bottle dashed around merrily, with each lithe movement of the ball thrower’s body. The Court of Appeals of Kentucky In Elswiek v. Commonwealth. 261 Southwestern Reporter, 249, affirmed the judgment, holding that the ar rest by the officer without a warrant was lawful and the evidence obtained admissible. Housi. g Shortag# vs. Divorce. From the Philadelphia Public I-edger. Freni Berlin comes a novel theory of the relation of the housing short age to marriage and divorce. From all sorts of conventions here in the Urited States are coming complaints and charges that crowded dwellings are filling the courts with divorce proceedings. The theory would ap pear to be that it takes plenty ol room for people to get along together even though they are married to each other. But the story from the Ger man capital is that where two live together in a house, no matter how abbreviated, they dare not consider separation for tho simple reason that th« re isn't room to be had to live separately. In o'.her words, the hous ing shortage is preventing divorces there vvhiie it is charged with multi pl.ving them over here. However, it may he ,1uat another illustration of the o’.d saying that it is a poor rule that won’t work both ways. Weil Trained. From the Western Christian Alvocate A c.1u1m3rrt.il traveler, visiting a large insurance office, boasted to the manatee that ho could pick out all the ina: r.e.1 nu*n among the employes. Accordingly he stationed himself at the door, as they returned from dinner, and mentioned all those he believed to be married. In almost every case bn whs right. “How do you do it?” asked the man ager. “The married men wipe their feet •n the mat; the single ones don't." It isn't that marriage makes men meek, but that the meek ones are easily caught.—Akron Beacon -Jo'-ir nai.