&he I'ROJV HOUSE
. NOVELIZED BY
EDWIN C. HILL ’ —
FROM WILLIAM FOX’S GREAT PICTURE ROMANCE
OF THE EAST AND THE WEST
BY CHARLES KENYON AND JOHN BUSSELL
Miriam patted her shoulder
comfortingly. All at once the
buzz of talk ceased. Silence
fill upon the crowded room.
Miriam’s gaze turned to a door
which led from the private
apartments. Secretary Hay,
walking briskly, entered the
anteroom, preceding a figure
that followed slowly. It was
the president. As he approached,
his head was bent, his arms
were held behind him, fingera
interlaced. Eagerly the girl
studied this man she had known
so well in the old days of her
thildhood in Springfield, and
her heart leaped out to him in
love ami sympathy. lie was
changed, indeed, from the Lin
coln that she knew, like a
great forest tree, the giant
figure was bent by the storms
that could not break it. Ilis
face was haggard, as her father
had said, yet glowed with sweet
ness. It was a face which ex
pressed such d’gnity and power,
such melancholy and sadness,
such cl.arm and human sym
pathy as Miriam had never be
fore seen written upon a human
countenance.
livery eye in me room was
turned upon him, yet he seemed
scarcely conscious of the cen
tered ga:uv lie came forward,
bi—'ing to the right, and left,
With Appealing awkwardness
that Miriam so v eil recalled and
which made tears spring to her
eyes. Suddenly he observed the
weeping old woman in the chair
at Miriam’s side. lie stopped
instantly. “What is it, ma
dam ?” he asked in his deep
gentle voice. “What is your
trouble t Tell me. Perhaps
your president can help you.”
She sobbed uncontrollably.
The whole room was listening,
Miriam patted her shoulder
again, urging her to speak. Al
most at once the poor old isoul
gripped her sorrow and held it
She get to her feet, bobbing a
queer old fashioned courtesy.
"Words tumbled from her quiver
ing lips.
“Its my son, Mr. President.
My son, Tom Howard. As good
tv boy as ever lived, and they’re
going to shoot him for being
i shop on post. Oh, my God, Mr.
President, don't let them. Save
him for his mother. He was all •
tired out. lie would have died
rather than go to sleep if ho
could have prevented it—”
The president took her seamed
brown hand. Over his face
spread a beautiful light—soul
sunshine, Miriam thought. IIo
motioned to John Hay.
“Your son will not be shot,”
he said, decisively. “It would
be impossible for such a mother
to have a bad son. Dry your
tears. Go home. Your trou
bles are over.”
“Got all the facts, John, at
once, now. Prepare a memo
randum to Secretary Stanton.
Good-bye, madam. God keep
you.”
He passed on. A company of
officers of high rank bowed,
arresting his progress. General
Fortesque spoke.
‘If you will permit me, sir.
We are all deeply concerned
over the report that you will
sign the Pacific Railroad Act. It
is a piece of engineering folly
Every dollar is needed to con
duct the war. Surely, Mr. Presi
dent, you will not give this bill
your approval?”
Mr. Lincoln stood gazing at
the floor Presently he spoke,
every ear straining to catch his
words:
“Gentlemen, wc must not let
ihe problems of the war blind us
4o the greater problems of the
-peace to come.” He paused,
gazing full at the intent group,
then resumed: “Otherwise wq
will have fought in vain!” He
was about to enter the execu
tive office when he noticed
Marsh and beckoned to him, his
face lighting up with joy it
always expressed at the sight of
a friend.
“I shall send for you in a few
minutes, Tom,” he whispered.
“Mr. President, Miriam is 1
is hare. Have you a moment?
She is so anxious to speak to
you.”
Miriam came forward quickly,
Jesson following slowly, eye
brows slightly raised.
“Oh Mr. President!” she
cried, her musical voice ringing
with delight. “Don’t you re
member me—Miriam Marsh!”
“Why of course,” he said,
giving her his great hand. “Hut
what a fine lady our little Miri
am has grown to be. All! That
reminds me, and little Davy!
Now, that was a hoy worth
your waiting for!”
Miriam’s face fell. Then her
eyes twinkled as she noted Jes
son’s annoyance. (Quickly she
presented him:
“This is Mr. Jesson. He’s to
be father’s engineer and we’re
engaged to be married.”
“So, so,” said Mr. Lincoln,
“this is news indeed, and how
do you think you will like that
rough life out there on the
plains, Mr. Jesson!”
“I daresay I shall manage,”
replied Mr. Peter Jesson. He
could not refrain from showing
jiis contempt for this railsplitter
in the White House- Mr. Lin
coln observed him shrewdly,
reading him like a printed page,
intensely amused at the type.
“I will take my chance with
the Indians and the hard work,”
continued Jesson. “It’s the dirt
and grime and vermin 1 destest.
I hear that a man is fairly eaten
out of his clothes.” “Well, Mr.
Jesson, if that happens to you,”
said the president, his eyes
twinkling, but his face perfectly
serious, “there’ll be a mighty
good suit of clothes left for
somebody!”
He pressed Miriam’s hand and
walked into his office. Marsh
was summoned presently. The
president sat at his desk, the
Pacific Railroad Act spread be
fore him.
“Tom,” he said at once, “I
I have decided.”
He bent to the document and
wrote his name at the bottom of
the last page. Marsh watched
him in such elation as he had
nover felt before “I wanted
you to be here when I signed the
bill,” continued Mr. Lincoln.
“I wish poor Dave Brandon
could have boon here. What it
wouid have meant to him! Tom.
if you do go out there, try to
find Dave and his boy. Now
about the railroad. I have done
all that I can do. It is up to
the builders and the country.
I am afraid it will move slowly,
but at least the way is open.
I tell you Tom, it will bring a
miracle to the West. Within
half a century, with this road
and the roads that will spring
from it, there will be fifty mil
lion people living happily be
tween tlie Missouri river and
the Pacific ocean- It will mean
a great properous, united
country. Your work is waiting
for you, Tom, and I wish you the
best of success. Come to me
any time you are in difficulties
and we will see what can be
done.”
CHAPTER X
THE BLUE AND THE GRAY
The Marshes and Peter Jesson
returned to New York a few
days after Mr. Lincoln had made
the railroad act the law of the
land. Miriam looked for im
mediate activity, expecting two
mighty armies of builders to
spring East and West, to the
titanic task of laying the rails.
When nothing happened, and
there was only occasional men
tion of the railroad in her pet
newspaper, Mr. Dana’s Sun, she
couldn’t understand the strange
delay.
t Marsh, preoccupied and wor
ked, tried to explain.
We have the charter," he
said, "but it begins to look as if
it ia only a deed to a rainbow.
Those who have money Feel the
risk too great. You see, dear,
the government isn’t advancing
any cash. Much as it wants the
road, the war eomes first and the
treasury ia pretty well drained.
"Uncle Sam has pledged his
credit. For every mile of road
built he will turn over to the two
private companies in long-time
loans, bonds of so many thousand
dol'iPs a mile, $16,000 up to $48,
000, depending upon the difficul
ties and cost of track laying, and
will give public land bonuses for
every mile completed. Bat to
got government bonds which can
be converted into cash and to get
Hie land grants we must first
build road. Wo need money to
build road, but we’ve got to build
road to get money ”
“That sounds like a riddle,
father,” smiled Miriam.
“It’s a riddle that’s whiten
ing my hair. We have combed
Wall Street begging for help.
Poor Huntington is almost dis
tracted. He and his partners
out in California, Stanford,
Crocker and Hopkins are mort
for every dollar they
own. Out of their own pockets
they have started track toward
the Sierra. Even they don’t
know how far they can go. Half
i-aiirorniu is laughing at them.
The other half is yelling fraud.
‘The Dutch Flat Swindle,' the
papers call it. Still, it’s easier
for them to get. started. The
war is hardly more than an echo
to the Far West. Here in the
East the Avar paralyzes enter
prise. Capital sits back, Avait
ing. The big men downtoAvn,
men like D. O. Mills, say it is too
much of a gamble. They think
the project building 1,800 miles
of railroad over treeless plain
and waterless desert, through
hostile Indian country, and over
mountains is foredoomed. They
ask Avhere business is to come
from in an unsettled wilder
ness.” “You won’t giA'e up?”
asked Miriam- “No 1 shall
stick it out. We’ll keep knock
ing at the door of the Pluto
crats. Maybe a miracle will
happen.”
But it Avns destiny, not a
miracle, Avhich was to give liv
ing impetus to the Iron Horse.
Destiny, having decided that
the American Union was to
stand, unbroken, one and in
divisible, stretched forth a great
band, swept back from shell
harrowed fields the gallant
forces of the Confederacy and
upon the clearing sky wrote
“Appomattox.” With the end
if the Avar, men’s thoughts
turned eagerly to projects of
peace and nation building, and
from one end of the land to the
other arose the demand that the
Pacific railroad be started in
earnest.
In April, 186f>, came the trage
dy which stunned the nation
casting the Marshes into deepest
sorrow, the assassination of Lin
coln. Marsh and his daughter
Avent immediaetly to Washing
ton and Avere a part of the
funeral party that accompanied
the president’s body to the old
home in Springfield. Miriam
learned then Iioav the people
mourn such leaders as arise only
Iavo or three times in a century
to Avin their love and faith.
They hastened back to Ncav
^ oHc, Marsh called by grave
affairs.
The three years that had
drifted by since the signing of
the act by Mr. Lincoln had been
years of intense activity. With
his eastern ' associates, Marsh
had Avorked desperately to raise
funds, but until late in 1864 it
had been a hopeless effort. Con
gress had come to the help of the
railroad promoters with a new
act Avhich gave the railroad com
panies the right to issue their
own bonds, the government1^
bond loan becoming a second
mortgage. This began to at
tract capital. By that time it
Avas plain that the South Avas
beaten, The money kings opened
their strongboxes.
Then came months of plan
ning, recruiting and organiza
tion. Marsh made a visit to
California, taking Miriam with
him- He went to study what
had been accomplished by his
friend, Huntington, and Hunt
ington’s partners, the indomit
able four. Nature had done its
best to impede them by thrust
ing valleys and mountains across
the right of way, but they had
striven ahead mile after mile,
blasting though the mountains,
filling the valley with stone.
Marsh visited Charles Crocker
at the Central Pacific end of
track, where the burly Crocker
bellowed up and down the line
like a mad bull.
“I’d sell my whole interest in
the damned road for a clean
shirt,’’ he barked at Marsh one
day. “But nobody in Cfli
fornia owns a clean shirt to
trade with. Here we’ve built
less than 60 miles in three
years, most of it on bluff. You
play poker Marsh T Well, you
know what it is to sit in a table
stakes game and go after the big
gest pot you ever saw with a
busted flush. Labor? Indepen
dent as a hog on iee ! And scarce.
Crazy about gold digging and
t.oo damned haughty to swing a
pick! An intelligent government
holds us down to American iron,
strictly. Result is that every
rail we lay has to be brought
clear from New York, 19,000
inkles, all the way round the
Horn. We've got twenty ships
on the ocean this day! We’re
ballasting this track with gold,
but we’re going ahead. I’ve
figured out a way to build over
the Sierra and on east so fast
your head’s ’ll swim.”
now s that I askeu Marsh.
“John Chinaman,” said
(’rocker, with his great laugh.
"I 11 show ’em! I have been
trying out Chinese as road labor
ers and they’re good stuff. Hard
working, sober, peaceable. Next
spring I’ll have big gangs of ’em
hard at it, and I'll keep putting
•em on if 1 have to kidnap half
the Yellow Kingdom.’
“A steam-engine in boots,”
Marsh said to his daughter, next
day, describing Crocker. Those
men have worked a miracle on
their own resources. Now that
bonds are selling they will make
rapid strides. Huntington
wants congress to iet the Cen
tral build until it meets the Un
ion Pacific. If that happens, we
in the East will have to work
last to reach Utah ahead of those
hustling Californians. Crocker
will have a string of pig-tailed
track layers all the way from the
Sierra Nevada to Brigham
Young’s temple.”
They returned East along the
»Salt Lake trail, by stage coach
to Kearney and Omaha then
down the Missouri to St. Louis
by steamboat, and on to New
York by rail. The West thrilled
Miriam. The free swing of it
got into her blood. Her imagina
tion pictured the frontier—buf
falo, Indians, all the old life—
slowly retreating before the
irresistible advance of a home
seeking people following their
destiny. She resolved to be with
her father when the time came
for him to take up his work on
the plains.
Marriage was still in the dis
tant future. It was impossible
to think of leaving her father at
this crisis. He would need her
more than ever. When troubles
and difficulties assailed him,
she must be at his side to com
fort and encourage. Young as
she was, she appreciated the
magnitude of the task. She
foresaw bitter hours for her
father before the last rails were
laid. She determined to stand
by him with all the courage and
sjfzpathy and cheerfulness she
could bring to bear.
IJC, OUIMI.MJISU)
Tree Planting in Louisiana.
New Orleans Item-Tribune.
Inaugurating a plan to perpetuate
the forents of Louisiana and make
the state one ot the most heavily
wooded sections of the United States,
the stute of Louisiana, through the
department of conservation, has an
nounced an initial gift of 600,000
young trees to the citizens of the
state to be made at the close of the
present year.
Young trees, numbering approxi
mately 1,000,000, are under cultivation
in the state nurseries in Rapides
parish. They will be distributed, free
of charge, to every bona fide owner
of farm land in Louisiana during the
last two months of 1925 and January
and February of 1926, when the trees
will be ready for transplanting.
The plan of encouraging statewide
tree planting by the annual distri
bution of seeds and young trees was
conceived during 1924 by V. H. Son
deregger, chief of the forestry dU
vision of the department of conserva
tion, and it was through his efforts
that the state tree nursery was es
tablished In Rapides parish early in
1925.
Boy Scouts, farm club boys and
girls and scores of other organiza
tions have interested themselves in
tree culture and have rendered the
state invaluable assistance In this
regard. Conservation Commissioner
W. J. Everest declared.
He Got a Degree.
From the Kansas City Times.
For the last six or seven years.
Chester K. Shore, a dark-haired lad
who has lived at various times in
Hiawatha, Kan., and Kansas City,
Kan., has been attempting to win a
Bachelor of Arts degree at the Uni
versity of Kansas. A gymnasium
course, required but not taken, had
been a stumbling block. Printed cards
sent to his friends recently bear this
legend:
This Is Telling
the Whole Cockeyed
. World'
That Chester K. Shore Has
Completed the Required Course
in Gym at the University of
Kansas and Will Now Re
ceive His ABE Degree.
Note—On account of my having
taken so much exercise in the last
nine months I will not take part
In the commencement exercises.
_ C. Shore.
A Verbal Tip.
From the Progressive Grocer.
“Cloudy day, sir," said the bellhop.
“Yes," growled the stingy traveler,
"and bu change coming, either."
Collateral.
From the Pittsburgh Poet.
“What do you borrow trouble onT“
“Insecurities.’'
Natural Conditions Are Working
For Improvement of Agriculture
From the Kansas City Star.
There is a closer intimacy between agriculture and general
business than is generally understood. Business men who never
thought of this before have realized it in the recent years of agri
cultural depression. Farm conditions are improving. This fact
is almost as interesting to the average business man as it is to
the farmer. Not yet assured, the business man is asking, “Can
the farmer really come back?” He is inclined to think he can
not come back unless there is a general reduction in wages or a
more substantial increase in farm prices, or both.
But a general reduction in wages would impair the market
the farmer needs. And the farmer has not yet an organization
that can determine and maintain a standard of farm prices. What
then ?
The farmer’s prospects are rising from natural causes. His
net income for 1923 was a little better than that of 1922. That
of last year was a little higher than in 1923. In spite of the
shortage of the wheat crop, his net returns this year promise to
exceed, at least by a small margin, those of 1924.
Rapidly the relative crop acreage—relative to the domestic
population—is decreasing. Little new land is taken up. Popula
tion is increasing. From the standpoint of consumption, popula
tion is doubling in fifty years in this country. It will be seen,
then, that it is only a question of time when production shall
r>erely be sufficient to meet domestic demands for all farm prod
ucts, cotton excepted. Since the Avar there has been a reduction
of wheat acreage from 74 million acres to 54 millions because of
the Ioav price of wheat. There will not be much Avheat to export.
This situation is reflected in the Ir’gher Avheat prices. Normally
we export only from 15 to 20 per cent, of our Avheat, mostly of the
grades Ave do not consume in this country. We export about the
same percentage of pork products, principally lard. Cattle pro
duction about meets the domestic demand, and prices are tend
ing upward. We import quantities of mutton, and sheep and
mutton are high. We probably always shall produce more cotton
than Ave shall use, but the United States has a monopoly of such
a large percentage of the world’s cotton that it can make its oavh
prices.
When the domestic demand for American wheat exceeds the
normal production in this country, the Avheat farmer Aviil flour
ish for the price will no longer be fixed in Liverpool on the
Avorld market. The same is true of cattle and hogs. When that
times comes, and it is expected to come in a comparatively feAV
years, the American farmer will be better situated than any other
farmer m the Avorld. He Avill not only be prosperous, but the
turn favoring his permanent prosperity will have been made. He
will gain not only in the higher prices cf what lie produces, but in
the increased value ot his land. Already there is evidence of a
slight upwv'd tendency of farm land prices, a tendency based on
indications rather than any actual gain that has been made thus
Yes, the farmer can come back. He is on the Avay. There is
reason to believe that when he really gets hack he will'be back to
stay.
TODAY
E3Y ARTHUR BRI8BANE
Mr. Bryan proposes *'to put the
Blblo Into the constitution,” if he
loses his fight to uphold the anti
thonkey law in Tennessee. What has
t e Bible to do with the monkey law
or tho constitution? Has Mr. Bryan
forgotten these lines:
“Congress shall make no law re
specting. an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise there
of, or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press.”
Mr. Bryan would have to take that
out of tho constitution to make room
for Jonah and the whale, as part of
the law of the land.
To put Into the constitution, the
Bible, the Koran, the Talmud, Mrs.
Kddy’s “Science and Health,” or
Maimonides “Guide to the Perplexed,”
was not the original American idea.
The constitution establishing rules
for men on earth is one thing. A sa
cred book expressing views of cer
tain people on religions is another
thing.
Thomas Jeffeison wrote tho dec
laration of independence and signed
It and Mr. Bryan often quotes him
with approval. Jefferson as secre
tary of state writing to a Mohomme
dan ruler told him he need have no
hesitation about dealing with the
United States because this nation,
officially, has no religion.
And that message of Jefferson’s
was used in recent times in negotia
tions between his government and
the sultan of Sulu.
Bryan, who is a good threatener,
also threatens to bar the teaching of
evolution throughout the entire na
tion. a sort of scientific prohibition.
Mr. Bryan may run for president
on an anti-evolution platform. If he
does, the news of the day supplies
his running in lie. In Montgomery
Cif.", Mo., Sheriff Farmer must hang
a negro, James Crump. Sheriff Far
mer objects to spending the people’s
money to "build a scaffold to bang a
negro, when the job can be done as
(veil from, a rafter in the county's
barn back of the court house.”
Tho comity judge, insists oil a new
gallows. “Suppose that barn becomes
haunted, what will we do with it,” he
asks. That county Judge is the right
running mate for. Mr. Bryan in his
anti-evolution campaign.
Rev. A. Bard, Lutheran clergyman,
•peaking in Milwaukee, advocates
taking the statue of Liberty from
New York harbor and putting up a
religious statue.
He says tho liberty figure is "pa
gan.” We seem to be drifting from
separation of church and state. Why
not pull down the statue of George
iVasliington and put up one of Josh- t
ua. who stopped tho sun to win his
battle? George Washington only
stoppde King George.
Samuel Pauscherskey, Russian
stowaway, a prisoner, on the White
Star l.'/ier Celtic, has crossed the
ocean five times. Neither England
nor America will let him land.
That seems strange, tragic, but
If So He Choose.
From the Fort Scott Tribune.
In pre-Clvil war days, General Stone
wall Jackson was a reverent worship
er at the English church In Wllliams
burgh. Va. The old darky sexton who
served the church in the days of Jack
eon. long survived the distinguished
Confederate general. One day the
darky was asked if he thought Jack
son was in heaven, and he replied:
“I doan1 know, seh; I doan’ know.
I does know, seh. dat If Marse Jack
son wanted to go to heben, he’s dar,
•eh!’* _ _ _
Most of the world's big Jobs are
handled by men who don't know what
kind of a tie is becoming to them.—
Santa Bartvira Pally News.
Dauseherskey is like all the rest of
us. Our steamship is the earth, eve
can t go back to wherever we came
fi om and we can’t land at wherever
we are going, at least not until death
supplies a passport. Eut get used to
it. buy and sell and marry, just the
same.
Madame Nemtehinova, Russian
lady who dances nimbly, fell through
a trap door and almost broke her legs,
‘'"f !.ho lojrs are insured for $150,000.
uriously enough, the leg insurance
, °,“ 'y*len Madame Nemtehinova is
in TurKty, i he Balkan states, Aus
na. or Russia. Why should those
oun tries ho extra dangerous to a
oanclng .adieu’ lags?
An American. Blanche Cavltt, has
insured her nose for $50,000. It is
not a reconstructed nose like Mr.
empsey'3, or a finely chisled nose
that makes Us living in moving pic
tures. Bkmche Cavltt uses It as a
judge of perfumes. She is the best
jJd°e In the world. We live In an age
o! specialists.
"ants to borrow $100.
000,000. The money should be sup
1'1 ed by American finance gladly,
on generous terms—not the usual
fcoylock basis.
, Australia and New Zealand are to
thj white races of the world what
oa. l> American frontiersmen were
to wnite settlements east of them.
Australia lives in the shadow of
Arna, a thinly scattered population
within easy striking distance of Ja
pan s tens of millions and China’s
hundreds of millions. All of white
civilization is interested in strength
ening and upholding Australia and
New Zealand.
The Oil, Mining and Metallurgical
society of America tells you that oil
production has passed its peak in
America, consumption increasing
faster than supply. Before long Amer
ica will be importing oil, relying on
foreign fields.
That may be. But before long, or
about when it is needed, the country
will find a substitute for oil and
gasoline, as man found a substitute
for olive oil that the Greeks used,
using whale oil instead. Then was
found a substitute for whale oil in
kerosene, gas replaced kerosene, elec
tricity drove out gas.
Nevertheless, if you happen to own
a good oil well, don’t be in a hurry
to sell it. Also bear 'n mind that any
body- who has an oil well worth keep
ing, is not writing letters to the pub
lic trying to sell stock. Beware of the
oils hard W’orking through the mails.
■-— • O—
Believe It op Not.
From the Pathfinder.
Mrs. Nora Gavaghan of Washing,
ten lost her pocketbook in a publio
building in that city. It had Jir. In It.
She notified the police. Several hours
later it was found in the vicinity
where it was said to have disap
peared. When opened 1c had nearly
*100 In It.
Slightly Exaggerated.
From the Cleveland News.
Among the benevolent letters recently
received at the office of a benevolent
society was one running thus:
“This unfortunate young man Is the
only son uf a widow who died childless,
and his earnings maintain his aged
father p.nd infant brothers, whose aol»
support he is.”
The secretary of the society wrote on
the margin of the epistle 'he following
note:
“The circumstances of the case are
evidently exaggerated."
Terrible static in Scotland when
it comes to broadcasting prohibition
speeches.- Omaha World Herald.
