Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 22, 1931)
HAFFEE ROARING HORSE BY ERNEST HAYCOX “You let nothing past you.” “I have studied it a long dme,” said Woolfridge. “There Ls yet one difficult barrier to cross. I have got to buy out Batterlee or the whole thing falls to pieces. His land slices my project in two. The ditch runs across it; and the man would let his fingers be hacked off before he’d see the cattle range split in'- homesteads. Bo I have got to take him out of th? game.” “From what I saw of him,” suggested Bangor, "he looks botli prosperous and stub born.” “Both," agreed Woolfridge. *‘But all men have a price. Somewhere up the scale I’ll find his. Now, we must work quietly and let nothing get out. You don’t know how cattle land hates the smell of small farms. They’d block me If they understood. The name of my dummy—they wonder v/ho is behind it—sounds like n big joke to them. They can’t understand how this country v/ill ever get water. Moreover, they don’t want it.” * “Who is in with you on this deal?” questioned Bangor. "Nobody. "When I want a thing done I do it myself. I never let another man see my hand if I can help it. And the rewards I keep alone, having v;ell earned them.” In saying that the core of his nature broke through the neutral wrappings and lay ex posed. His round cheeks were flushed and hard; there was a slanting, oriental cast to his eyes that defied Bangor’s power of analysis. Bangor saw part of Woolfridge’s under lying coldness and a part of tile man’s acquisitive will, but there was still some latent explosive force beyond sight. It v/as to him an uncomfort able moment. He broke it quickly. “We should have an answer to our application in Wash ington. That’s only formality. It will go through. And so will our busines with the terri torial engineer. You had better get your necessary legal business in order as well.” “i am taxing care ox max,, caicl Woolfridge. Bangor had the disquieting sensation that the man had taken care of a great many things. He knew Woolfridge very well; he knew his approximate wealth and connections. Yet from time to time Woolfridge surprised him by producing still another weapon out of the case. Stock, a friendly official, some secret control. “Well,” went on Bangor, “when you are ready to break the news let me know. I'll hold off until then. By the way, the governor is preparing to lay a series of distinctly radical reforms before the en suing legislature. I don’t like it. But we’ll beat them.” “Give the governor my re gards,” was Woolfridge’s ironical comment. “Two years from now I’ll send him back to private life.” “How?” was Bangor’s start led question. Woolfridge shrugged his shoulders and motioned to the bottle. The interview was over. They drank in silence, and Woolfridge prepared to leave. By the door he turned for a last word. “See you in the morning. You are sitting with mo. It will be very interesting. Watch a man named Jim Chaffee. It will repay you. He has a terrific reputation for ability in these parts.” He seemed to thaw and drop back to his incorispicious role. “By the way, Gay Thatcher is an extraordinarily charming lady. Where is she from?” “Don’t know,” said Bangor. “She’s been socially up around the capital this fall. Her past Not Prohibition Policy. From Christian Science Monitor. The nontoxic denaturant for in dutrial alcohol just announced for use in federal regulation of this commodity is more than a forward step in prohibition enforcement. It is a contribution to public safety. No right-minded prohibitionist can view without concern the suffering which drinkers impose upon them selves and others by unwittingly im bibing toxic material. The purpose of the prohibition laws is to better the state of individuals, not make ^ Under present interpretations of the law. the buyer and drinker of s seems to be entirely her own business, but she walks through the best doors.” “I should think so,” mur mured Woolfridge, and let himself out. Bangor waited a spell. Then he pulled off his shoes and stared a long, long interval at the wall. His thoughts seemed to displease him, and in the end he spoke a short piece. “How did he get that stock in the first place, and how did he know we were battling for a place in the sun? Now he talks to me as if I were a secretary. Me! And I’d like to throw him over board but don’t dare. He’s playing his own cards, which may not be mine. Where does he think he’s going to get the power to defeat the governor? That man is a profound i mystery.” William Wells Woolfridge ; went down the plush carpeted stairway of the Gusher and paused in the lobby beneath a crystal chandelier. The Gusher v/as not a modern hotel. Its frame dated back to an ancient army post But recently unknown capit: 1 had taken over and remodeled the place. It glittered cheer fully of a night, its walls were loaded with murals, and its woodwork ran to fancy scrolls and jigsaw figures. Sach room on the lower floor opened grandly Into another —lobby, dining hall, ballroom, and gaming parlor; and each room was differently colored and took name from that color. Most appropriately the gaming parlor was called the Gold Room, into which Wool fridge sauntered, seeming pleased at the comfortable crowd gathered there. It should have pleased. It was his hotel, though this was another under-cover posses sion, and the Gold Room was his idea. It netted him money; it furnished a cosmopolitan air to the town and public sentiment in no wise disap proved. The Gold Room, ac cording to his own rigid di rections, was thoroughly genteel, and women some times stood at the doorway looking on. There was a bar beyond a partition, but not a drop of liquor entered the precincts of this room; men went to the bar if they were athirst. ». i 1 A. A 1 lilt; placing uau oi-ui tcu, ijiau lie found Dad Satterlee lean ing idle against a wall, talk ing politics to French Melotte, looking for all the world like a man who had absolutely no interest in the click of chips j or the shuffle of cards. Dad was an inveterate poker player, but he went about it cagily. Woolfridge tapped him on the arm and nodded to ward the lobby. Satterlee fol lowed, his red, blunt face shining honestly against the light, his hair was the color of iron and his eyes were like disks of steel; but Satterlee liked to laugh, and the echo of it rang strong and free wherever he was. “Nice crowd,” said Dad, scanning the lobby. “That’s right,” agreed Wool fridge. “About that proposition | of mine—” “Oh, hell, I thought you had somethin’ to tell me about the ; rodeo. Don’t pester me with any more offers.” “I will meet any reasonable price you set, Satterlee,” in sisted Woolfridge. “I’m serious.” “Yuh? Son, if I set a price it wouldn’t be nowise reason able. And that’s likewise serious. What would me and my wife do with a lot of money and no place to go? Shucks, you ain’t talkin’ to a poor man.” “Now you’re trying to draw ! intoxicants has committed no legal i offense. Yet he pays the most severe | ! penalty when he drinks toxic liquors i j placed at his disposal by those j against whom the law is directed— the illegal manufacturer, transport er and seller. The new denaturant should protect drinkers from the results of their submission to an en slaving habit—and their connivance in someone else's crime—without in flicting upon them a penalty for this weakness exceeding that meted out to deliberate criminals. “Pine,” says the drinker. “Now it is safe to patronize any kind of a bootlegger." Safe? But it must be that, alcohol itself is toxic, me into something else," said Woolfridge mildly. “I don’t care what you do With the money. Buy a battleship and tour the world. It may sound like nonsense to you, but I need your range worse than you do. I want it bad enough to pay a stiff price. And I hive always found a man could buy anything if he wanted it sufficiently. I have found all men will sell at a price. I’m trying to find yours.” “Great shades!” snorted Dad. “You got the dangdest way of dickerin’ I ever heard tell about. Same as sayin’ I can keep on talkin’, but you’ll get my land by and by.” “I’m trying to find your price.” “Well, I’ll set a price high enough to keep you off,” said Dad. Immediately he checked himself and looked into Wool fridge’s face with a sharp, shrewd penetration. “No, I won’t let you run me into any corral like that, either. Might take me up. You’re foxy, but you ain’t got good sense tryin’ to extend your range in a bad year. Not when you got to pay j boom prices. What’s in the [ back of your coco, anyhow?” “Just what I told you,” was Woolfridge’s patient answer. “I want to be the kingpin in this piece of country. If a man can afford to nurse his vanity, why not?” Satterlee bit into ms cigar and became mellow. “Now, listen. I was born here. I courted my wife here, and I buried three kids out yonder on a green little knoll. I made money here, and I’ve sorter put my roots way down deep. Don’t talk dicker to me any more, son. I’m finished. All you and me can discuss is horses and buckers to-mor row. Believe I'll sit in a judi cious game.” He left Woolfridge, eyes sparkling with the robust an ticipation of battle. Wool fridge watched him settle up to a vacant table and crook his fingers at sundry pros pects. There was one particu lar man who seemed on the verge of joining this new game; but Woolfridge caught that man’s eye and held it for a fraction of a moment. He turned into the street and walked through the shadows. In a little while somebody drew abreast, obscured. “What was it, Mr. Wolfridge?” “Before you sit in that game with Satterlee,” murmured Woolfridge, “I wanted to tell you to tighten your play all around. Tighten it up, Clyde, ' understand? Play for Satter lee and let the others win or lose, but play for Satterlee.” A moment’s silence. “You I told me when you brought me into this country, Mr. Wool- i fridge, I was not to turn u ; crooked card.” ‘So l cud and so you nave. | And you have built up a repu tation for being square. Which is exactly what I wanted you to do. Now go back there and do as I say. I have been nurs ing you along for this particu lar time. Use all the tricks in your bag, Clyde, which are manilold. That's all.” “How much have I got be hind me to do this?” “You are free to sign I O U's to twenty thousand. I’ll privately protect them. I’ll protect any obligation—so long as you whittle down Satterlee. Boost the play high. Dad's feeling good. Now go back there and work.” “All right—” Behind them was the smashing of glass and one sharp explosion. They turned to see a saloon door erupt a vast, towering form. Down the street came a mighty wailing [ cry, weii;d and full throated and savage; a cry that seemed j possible only to some enraged beast. It poured along the thoroughfare, striking a chill | into the holiday humor of the crowd. Clyde the gambler swore and made nervous ges tures with his slim fingers. “Great God, what’s that?” , Woolfridge lifted his thin shoulders. “That is Theodorik Perrine twisting his own tail for to-morrow’s battle.” and the new denatured renders it far from pleasant. This by-produjt of petroleum refining may not load beverages with what is additionally toxic, but it certainly spoils their taste. Its flavor is described as a compound of the aromas of ‘‘chloro form, benzine, overripe eggs, garlic and very strong onions.” Moreover, it mingles so inseparably with the alcohol, when used in production, as thus far to defy the most drastic manipulation for its removal. Much capital has been made by dry law critics of the alleged callous or deliberate poisoning of alcohol by federal bureaus. This charge is based upon the use of wood alcohol CHAPTER, in A Duel of the Arena The flag was up; the cow boy band had finished the last tar of the national anthem; the crowd in the grandstands settled back; a pistol cracked at the far turn of the track; and a dozen ponies came bat tering down the main stretch on the opening relay of the rodeo. Excitement roared from one end of the field to the other; the crowd was up again and yelling encouragement to the riders swirling through the dust. Yellow and red flashed in the sun; there was a sudden melee at the opposite turn of the track, and a pony went down, rider swinging through the air. A sigh like the pasage of wind swept the onlookers; then the race was over, and the spilled rider sat up and waved his hand at his departing horse. Again a pis tol cracked; the show was under way. The rodeo hands were in the center of the field with the first, of the bucking horses, each brute snubbed up to the hand’s saddle horn. Blindfolds were on, and men went about the ticklish business of sad dling. Jim Chaffee stood at one side of the arena, smoking a cigaret and looking over the fence to some far distant point of the horizon. His long iegs were spread sngntiy apart, his blue neckpiece flut tered slightly to the wind, and his uptilted hat let the sun fall fully on his lean, bronzed cheeks. His eyes were half closed, the cigaret drooped from a corner of his thin lips. It was a splendid picture of a man relaxed and indif ferent; he seemed entirely forgetful at the moment of the part he was about to play And in truth he was. Looking northward, gravely wistful of features, he was seeing in his mind the cabin by the creek and the tall surrounding cottonwoods. It didn’t seem right that so cheerful and tucked-in a place should be lying tenantless. There ought to be a fire in the stove, and somebody ought to be cut fixing that broken corral pole. And he was saying: “I never will find another like it. Not in a thousand years.” Gay Thatcher saw him there and stored the picture in her memory. Leaning forward from the foremost box in the stands she drew the attention of William Wells Woolfridge. "Is he riding to-day?” Woolfridge was one of the three judges; at present he sat on his horse beside the other two, French Melotte and Dad Satterlee, waiting for the rodeo hands to get the buckers ready. He turned at her question. “Who? Chaffee —yes he’s riding, Miss Gay. He has some reputation for that sort of thing in this country.” xie l u u rw a—pittuicoquc, said Gay, then inwardly pro tested at her own use of the word. It sounded exactly like what a tourist would say. She wasn’t a tourist and she hadn’t meant that. “I mean he looks exactly like a West erner should look.” Woolfridge smiled. “Perhapi there’s a little grandstand gesture in that pose. Most of the boys like to show off be fore a crowd.” Dad Satterlee had his at tention on the field, but he caught that last sentence and turned suddenly. “What you talkin’ about, son? Chaffee don’t play to the crowd. He ain’t built that way. Never was, never will. He wasn’t even figurin’ on competin’ this year. That ranch of his sorter ties him down.” “He no longer has It,’ corrected Woolfridge, amused. “He lost it. The bank took it over yesterday.” “Oh,” said Gay, instantly sorry. Satterlee’s bulldog face showed disbelief. "What’s that? you’re kiddin’ us, Wool fridge. He’d come to me for help first. He’d told me right off.” (TO BE CONTINUED) and other toxic materials in the de naturing process. Far from being a vindictive device of prohibition bu reaus. thus method was adopted by the United States about 50 years ago under the internal revenue laws. WOMEN KICK ON HIS TALES Chico, Cal—(UP)—‘Hen” Tur ner, tender of a bridge at Oroville, must “pipe down” the women ot Oroville have demanded. “Hen.” it seems, likes a good story and, being slightly deaf, tells them in a loud voice. And, the women say, some of his chuckle-makers are spicy, to say the least, so they told the board I of supervisors about it. SONS OF NOTED IOWA FARMER CARRY ON WORK Held Family Wins Fame as Breeders of Shorthorns BY FRANCIS T. MARTIN Philip Held, born in Germany, ol .'Idenburg extraction, made good in America, the land of his adoption. When people in Plymouth county speak of Philip Held and of what he had accomplished, they are of one mind—that he was a forward looking man who had progressive ideas in all matters pertaining to agricultural affairs and of advanced ideas in the production of the bet ter types of livestock. When Held came.to America in 1852, he was young and vigorous and, to his mind, he stood at the threshold of a promising career. For a while he stayed in New York City, but urban life held no attrac tions for him. Like other men of his time, the pioneer spirit was in his blood, and the ownership and occupancy of land was his great desire. Came West in 1855 So, in 1855 he came west, as far as Sioux City, and in those days, Sioux City wasn’t much to look at. Crossing the “Big Muddy’’ there, Held had it in mind to keep on going west, but when he reached the vicinity where Jackson, Neb., now is, he remained there for some time. But he wasn’t satisfied there. His restless spirit wanted to make a change, and he came back to Iowa and finally established himself a few miles from Sioux City. That was in 1862. When the railroads came, the town of Hinton was founded, and it is around this town that the ac tivities of Philip Held grew into be ing, and assumed proportions of commanding importance in the years that followed. Held home steaded a tract of land at first, and afterward began to buy land ad joining until he had accumulated 1, 200 acres. Turns to Shorthorns After a bit the older members of his children reached an age where they were of help to their father, and it was then that attention was paid to the breeding of Shorthorns, and Oldenburg coach horses. The present Mondamin farm was found ed in 1879 and in 1887 its first Shorthorns came, ard became a herd that for years has been a pillar of strength in the production and distribution of meritorious seed stock. When Philip Held passed on, his sons, Philip, Ed and Walter, gave the best of their attention to tUe administration of the affairs of Mondamin farm, and its subsi diaries, and the breeding of good Shorthorns and the feedinf of cat tle and sheep for the markets has been their big business. The Shorthorn herds are main tained on a basis that ncv«r fails to show a profit. No frills nor fan cies are tolerated in their manage ment. The Held's are sticklers for good blood in their cattle; they want a substantial background of good breeding, bt they don't want things which, to their minds, aro detrimental to the best interests of the business. Care Factor in Success The herds have the care that ts necessary for their health and thrift and for the proper develop ment of the young. They grow out their young cattle in a proper man ner and, as a result, no undernour ished cattle are found on their farms. Breeders and farmers have bought the surplus of these herds ever since their establishment. The Helds handle hogs on a big scale, too, and this is one of the profitable ends of their business. There are seven of the Held broth ers, and thej^ail have the same ob jective, that of farming and rais ing and feeding livestock. G. E. Held has been honored with elective office, and has served his county as state representative for several consecutive terms. Held brothers have made their mark in Iowa’s agricultural and livestock develop ment. They know the soil and its possibilities, and the crops pro duced when fed to quality livestock is the secret of their continued suc cess. Corn Treated to Kill Any Disease Germs Tipton. la- —Treatment of corn with commercial dust to kill any disease that may have started in the seed was found successful in tests conducted at the R. H. Domer farm near here. Three different varieties of seed corn were treated with as many varieties of commer cial dust before planting. An average of the three different dusts on an early variety of com increased the yield 4.7 bushels an acre; on a medium variety 6.3 bush els an acre, and on a late variety, 1.7 bushels. The corn was planted in 10 different plots scattered through a field and the comparison was made with the crop grown in the rest of the field. Tl'RKEY *r*IONEY Turkey raising is a big industry in Nevada. Total business of the last three years amounted to more than $41,500,000. CORN WITHSTANDS WIND Ames, la. - ~ studying heavy wind damage, corn breeders have found that some hybrids— crosses of inbred strains—were not evm leaning while in adjoining rows of ordinary corn as much as 56 to 60 per cent had been blown down. - ♦-» One to Star With. From Answers. Customer; I say, do you sharpen razors? Barber: Why of course, sir. Customer: Well, then, would you mind sharpening the one you are cutting my chin with now? I that sluggish III reeling Put yourself right with nature by chewing Feon-a- mint. Works mildly but effectively in small doses. Modem — safe — scientific. For the family. Feenamint h FOR CONSTIPATION The ideal Vacation Land Sunshine All Winter Long Splendid roads—towering mountain ranges—Highest type hotels—dry in vigorating air—clear starlit nights— California’! Foremoit Desert Playground Sale*men. Sell llamly Andy ('linker Ton pa, i guaranteed product. Every home a pros pect. Household Utilities Co., Wayne,Mich. Wanted—Men, Women, to distribute sam ples. Host Household Necessities. Dept. 3, Supreme Products M[g, Co.,Fullerton.Cal If. Cuff Made Useful In Liverpool, England, policemen Are going to write it on the cuff in their search for motor thieves. Each man on the force has been provided with a specially designed white cuff, on which he is to Inscribe the li cense numbers of all cars reported stolen. Whenever he suspects a pass ing motorist all lie has to do is glance at his list. The cuffs have been made so that the number can be erased. Happy Again "Nothing seemed to please Betty Jean,” says Mrs. James W. Nolen, 11.” Ceanter St., I ‘alias, Texas. “Sh© was feverish and fretful. Her appe tite was poor; she seemed bilious. “A child specialist recommended California Fig Syrup and It certainly made my little girl happy, well again in a hurry. We have used it over three years for all her upsets.” Mothers by thousands praise this pur© vegetable product. Children love it. Doctors recommend it for feverish, headachy, bilious, consti pated babies and children; to open the bowels in colds or children’s diseases. Appetite Is increased by its use; the breath is sweetened; coated tongue Is cleared; digestion and as similation are assisted; weak stom ach and bowels are strengthened. For your protection the genuine always bears the name California. LAXATIVE-TONIC for CHILDREN! Friendship's Blindness “Our close friends," said HI Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “have so much opportunity to observe our faults that lbey generously cease to lie ini crested in them.’’—Washington Star. No meals were ever so depressing as those eaten in a pi-or backwoods hotel by the light of a kerosene lamp swung from the ceiling. Garfield Tea Was Your Grandmother’s Remedy hor every stom ach and intestinal ill. This good old fashioned herb home remedy for c oust ipatiou, istomach ills and other derange merits of the sys tem so prevalent these days Is in even greater favor as a family med icine than in your grandmother’s day.