BY
RICHARD HOFFMANN
COPYWlOHT >Y~RICHARD MOrrriAHN
W.N.U. SERVICE
CHAPTER VII—Continued
—12—
Somewhere beyond the bare, dry,
sage-tufted basin of tbe Divide,
they came on road construction, the
surface leaving no doubt that it
was necessary. For five miles they
bumped slowly on into harder going
—so slowly at last that the magpies
at a dead coyote, limply huddled
against some white thistle poppies
beside the road, didn’t start up until
the car bounced out of a hole
abreast of them. “D—n, this is aw
ful," said Hal. Kerrigan said, “Stop
at that car up there, and I’ll ask
the fella wbat they’ve got that’s
better.”
The fella said there were eight
more miles of this, and after that a
good deal more, but there was a
side road half a mile west there,
and if you turned south on that and
kept bearing west you couldn’t lose
the way and you’d come into the
route again after the worst was
over. So they turned off in half a
mile, lumbered across a rocky ditch
that scraped Rasputin’s undersides:
but there were the dust tracks of
other cars ahead and the going was
much better. Then Hal drove smart
ly around a twist onto an outcrop
of jagged rock in the middle of the
road: there was a bump, a crack,
and a ripping sound underneath,
and with a lifeless sigh Rasputin
rolled to a sedate, silent stop.
“Waterloo! Waterloo! Waterloo!
More plaine!” said Kerrigan.
“Here’s a sitchatlon.”
“What’s the matter?” Pulsipher
asked, leaning forward.
“I think there may be something,
wrong with the car,’’ said Kerrigan.
“Oh,” said John.
As Hal got out, he said to Kerri
gan, “How far d’you make it we’ve
come from the highway?”
“ ’Bout five miles,” said Kerrigan.
"But it didn't look like the Pennsyl
vania station there either, as I re
call.”
“No,” said Hal glumly. He squat
ted down in the road to look under
the car and saw a jagged plate ol
tin hanging ominously, under the
front seat. “Lord” he murmured and
straightened to look back along the
road. There lay the battery, in two
pieces, near the torn remains of the
tin box that had held it up. He
walked back to It: it was efficiently
wrecked, the bitter water already
drunk down by the ground and the
plates stuck over with grit. Hal
nudged a piece of tin with his toe
when Kerrigan and Crack came up,
saying: “Look at the flimsy thing.
Should’ve noticed that in Detroit, I
s’pose. D—n it all, anyway.”
“It’s a wonder that we’re alive,"
said Kerrigan, dropping the dead
cigarette end from his lips as he
raised a fresh one. “So what?”
“You hold the fort here; I’ll go
back to the highway and get a lift
into a town and come out with an
other battery as soon as I can get
it.”
Crack made a sudden little sound,
his eyes stirred by uncertain hope,
and he said, “I’ll go. Let me go."
Hal looked at him quickly, for a
hint of his motive. That it was not
merely to be of service he felt cer
tain; yet Crack couldn’t be afraid
to stay out here. Hal was about
to give his offer curt dismissal when
Kerrigan said, “Sure, let him go."
An authority in Kerrigan’s voice
subdued Hal’s feeling he should do
it himself, left him open to the
thought of an hour or two with
Barry, Crack and his covert knowl
edge, his indolent curiosity, re
moved. They had the fella’s bag
and his fare; and. . . .
“All right,” said Hal, “if you
won’t start telegraphing and wait
ing for answers again. Now, look.”
He made notes of what he wanted
on the back of an envelope of Ker
rigan’s, explaining each item care
fully to Crack. “Got money?”
Crack smiled as if Hal’s care
amused him, and he said, “Yeah—
more’n fifty dollars."
"Right,” said Hal. "Keep track
of what you spend; and make it
fast as you can.”
"Sure,” said Crack amiably. He
seemed for a moment to speculate
on what Hal might be thinking of
him. Then, moderately embarrassed,
he said, “Well—so long”; and he
started back along the dusty road,
his narrow, graceless figure. Incon
gruous and small against the enor
mous panorama beyond him.
After a silent moment of watch
ing him. Hal said in rueful quiet,
"I don’t know why we let him do it.”
“He’ll be all right," said Kerri
gan. “Can't 3ay I love him like a
brother, but he’ll be all right.”
“Why, d—n him,” said Hal sud
denly, “it was this morning—in
Cheyenne—he asked if everything
was all right so that we wouldn’t
get stuck.’’
“He’s a right nneer little man,”
said Kerrigan, still curiously watch
ing him go. ‘‘Ever notice the tops
of his ears?*'
“What is it that’s odd about his
ears?” said Hal, half turning back
to the car, then glancing round
again.
“They look as If they were trying
to come to a point,” said Kerrigan.
"I’ve seen only two or three pairs
like ’em. And always on secret lit
tle men."
Mrs. l*ulsipher sat there, neither
grim nor martyred, but as if nerv
ously on the lookout for a chance
of placating some one. Hal smiled
In at Sister Anastasia and told her,
"We’ll still be there day after to
morrow ;’’ but it seemed like a reck
less statement The nun’s modest
eyes showed him thanks and belief;
her hand moved up from where, be
side her, it had been in Barry’s.
And Barry’s look at him was one of
tender confederacy in sparing Sis
ter Anastasia her reticent concern.
Then Hal explained the situation
briefly and sat down on the running
board to smoke a cigarette.
All around here was space and
stillness, with the dry radiance of
the lowering sun hot upon It As
far as you could see, nothing
stirred; for miles and miles away
nothing made a sound.
“What’s It liable to do out here
at night?” said HaL “Rain? Get
cold?"
“Might get a little cooler,” said
Kerrigan, “but ’twon’t rain. Be a
fine night.”
“We seem to be assuming we’ll be
here into the night,” said Hal. “How
about bears and tigers?"
"Not many,” said Kerrigan. Hal
looked at him and found his heavy
face grave and respectful.
"What’s up?”
“I’m sorry you’ve got things on
your mlud,” Kerrigan said quietly.
Hal took a long breath and smiled
at him. "I s’pose that’s one thing
a mind’s for,” he said. Then: "I
sort of thought I wasn’t keeping It
from you. And that helps, too.
Colonel, I want to ask you about
something later — later, when — If
you’ll let me."
Kerrigan’s heavy, somehow grace
ful hand patted Hal’s leg; he
glanced off at the layered rampart
of rock beyond the tiny railroad
line, then down between his knees.
“You keep after her,” he Bald.
"She’s worth plenty. And if you
want to talk, here I am."
The door on the other side of the
car slammed and Barry, with Doc
eagerly beside her, came round to
them, watching them as If they were
a pair of amusing children when
they rose before her,
“Come on," she said. “let’s
stretch our legs. Let’s see Wyo
ming."
“Lady, have you ever had a good
look at my legs?” Kerrigan asked,
as a question of grave scholarship.
"No, of course not; I beg pardon.
The point is they’re past stretch
ing. Take my young friend Ireland
with you, but let me have him back
in good condition. And mind your
pup; coyotes’ll lead a dog till he’s
tired and then turn on him."
“I wish you’d come,” said Barry.
"I wish I would," said Kerrigan,
“but I won’t I’ll sit here thinking
of old, old brandy, and I’ll be young
er when you come back. Be off.
If you run Into Hostyles, send me a
line by one of ’em and I’ll be at
your side In a twinkling—say, an
hour and a half.”
At the top of a little ridge to the
westward, from which they could
look down tfie road where Itasputin
waited, and see across to the moun
tain range behind which the sun
would set, they slowed their pace
and stopped.
"That’s not a long walk," said
Barry.
“Long enough,” said Hal. “Rat
tlesnakes.”
“Oh, gosh! not really?” said Bar
ry, moving to him.
He watched her without stirring
his arms, smiling a little at her and
to himself. “No," he said, "I just
wanted you to come where I could
touch you and then show you I
wouldn't I’m proud of keeping my
promise; you must ask me why I’m
so strong.”
There was a memory of solemn
alarm under her smile. “Why are
you?” she said dutifully. She sat
down facing the west, her legs
doubled and one firm shoulder
hunched where she leaned against
her arm.
“Because," he said, stretching
himself before her, “because you’ve
drawn your loveliness up Into a
kind of royalty that makes you
more beautiful than I thought even
you could be. Because you have a
pride and purity in your eyes that
goes as far above the world as that
peace that makes Sister Anastasia
beautiful. And yet your bravery Is
warm and living; you don’t turn
your back on the most Implacable
thing I've known In life—my fan
tastic desires for you, for the beau
ty behind your eyes, for the
beauty—’’
She turned from her lonely look
ing Into the west, glanced from his
mouth to his eyes with that awed,
still consternation, and said, “Hal,
that’s not—darling, we'll have to go
back."
“And because,” Hal went on, "to
morrow nothing you can put against
me can stop me—nothing. There,
I’ve finished. And you can watch
the strength and Implacability com
ing Into me with every minute of
my promise.”
“Hal,” she said hopelessly, strip
ping her hat from the golden lux
uriance that ran simply back from
the round of her forehead. She
faced the west again and watched
It, trying Its farthest distance with
the sorrow of her eyes. Then she
turned to him and said artlessly,
“What about your socks?”
“Socks?” said Hal, his look laugh
ing as he glanced at them. “What
about them?”
“I’ve got things to wash out—to
night, or whenever we get any
where,” she said. “If you’ve got
any things, I can do them, too."
“You're certainly not going to
wash my socks,” said Hal.
She seemed to straighten a little
In defense as she said, "And why
not?”
“Why, d—n It all, because—”
“If you were 111,” Barry interrupt
ed, "would you let anybody else
take care of you If I could? I
wouldn't shine your shoes, because
you’re plenty strong enough to do
it for yourself; but for the love of
Mike why shouldn’t I do washing
for you If you’ve got things that
need it? Is it beneath me, or some
thing? Wouldn’t you shine my
shoes If I asked you to?”
“Of course.”
“Well, then. Perhaps you didn't
know you wear woolen socks, and
woolen socks shrink If they're not
carefully done.”
“I didn’t know that,” said Hal.
“Tell me more.”
“I’d tell you lots more," said Bar
ry, “If you’d try to see my meaning,
and remember it.”
“Barry, d’you think I forget any
thing you say—anything, even the
first word you said to me, years ago,
when you used to make me mad?”
“Well, what did I say to you
first?” said Barry, challenge cheer
ing her eyes.
“You said—We were standing In
that place, wherever it was—you
know—that place, and you said—
No, signals off. We were In the
car and you said it wasn’t my ciga
rette that burned your coat.”
Barry chuckled at him, slowly and
huskily, with her head a little back
and her firm, white throat full.
“Close, Mr. Ireland, close. I’m glad
you remembered. I used to watch
you being made mad by me and love
it And now—’’ she said, her voice
touching the edge of sorrow, then
evading It in a little sigh: “now I’m
asking you to let me wash your
socks.”
Hal and Barry had risen to watch
the silent glory of the colors—she
with her back against him and her
hands clasped over his, the slow
rhythm of her breathing under his
touch.
She took a faltering breath and let
it go reluctantly; and Hal, his
mobth near the faintly fragrant
thicket of half-curls, whispered
“What?”
She turned her head to look at his
lips, then up at his eyes, her look
ing Intimate, expectant; then she
stood away from him and returned
to the fading colors of the western
sky. “Beauty—” she said; “beauty
to last forever, In a few minutes."
He pressed her hand before he
let it go, watching her. “I s’pose
while we can find the way we’d bet
ter go back,” he said. “Some day,
we’ll never go back,”
With a limber bending of her
body, she picked up her hat, and
it swung between them In her hand
as they started down.
It wasn’t cool, but Kerrigan was
THE STORY FROM THE OPENING CHAPTER
Following his father’s criticism of his idle life, and withdrawal of
financial assistance, Hal Ireland, son of a wealthy banker, Is practically
without funds but with the promise of a situation in San Francisco, which
he must reach from New York at once. He takes passage with a cross
country auto party on a "share expense’* basis. Four of his companions
are a young, attractive girl, Barry Trafford; middle-aged Giles Kerrigan;
Sister Anastasia, a nun; and an individual whom he instinctively dislikes,
Martin Crack. Barry’s reticence annoys him. To Kerrigan he takes at once,
and he makes a little progress with Barr’-. Through a misunderstanding,
Hal Is directed to Barry’s bedroom instead of his own. Her apparent
unfriendliness disappears, and they exchange kisses. The following day
Hal tells her he loves her. She answers that she mustn’t love him, without
giving any reason. Crack brutally insults Kerrigan. Hal forces him to
apologize abjectly, and his feeling of disgust for Crack is Intensified. On
his insistence, Barry tells Hal that shortly before his death her father
had urged her to marry a man many years older than she. Trusting her
father implicitly, she did so, and on his deathbed her father secured her
promise to stick to her husband, "no matter what happened,” for ten years.
That was four years ago, and though she has proof of her husband's
unworthiness, she is determined to keep her promise, while admitting her
love for Hal.
arranging brush and a few desic
cated fence posts for a Are when
they came to the car.
“Hi there,” he Raid comfortably,
as if they bad kept house together
for a long time. "Got the sun put
away all right?”
"Yes,” said Hal. "Very prettily,
too. What’s the fire for? Goln’ to
have a blizzard?"
“No,” said Kerrigan. “Just like to
attrnct attention.”
"Haven’t seen any to attract,”
said llai. "But you know your pub
licity out here better than I do.”
There was a pleasant murmur of
welcome as Barry got into the car
where the others still waited. Hal,
with a strange, assured feeling of
peace upon him, looked up at the
first clear-riding stars and breathed
his chest slowly full.
“Lord, It’s good,” he said to Ker
rigan. “You should’ve told me I’d
like Wyoming.”
With the star-scatttered night
complete and the fire going, they
made a thin supper from Mrs. Pul
sipher’s oranges, the popcorn which
she ordered John to uncache, and
some agglomerated fruit-drops from
a bag In Kerrigan's pocket. And
each time John, after a silence,
wondered where that Mr, Crack
wu8, Hal felt the peace upon his
blood freshly—a peace assured of
strength, of Barry’s nearness, and
of his final coming to her—after
the term of his promise.
Those in the car got out to
stretch and stroll briefly and look
up into the night; and past ten,
when John gave a yawn that echoed
in the shameless cavern of his
mouth, Mrs. Pulsipher suggested
sleep. She and Sister Anastasia
disposed themselves in the back
sear, while John cramped his gaunt
lankiness In the front and Barry,
Hal, and Kerrigan sat along the
running board, watching the Are and
talking.
“Listen,” said Barry suddenly,
interrupting her own speech. Doc
“I Don’t Know Why We Let Him
Do It."
raised his head for a grunt, snif
fing. “There comes somebody.”
“It is somebody,” Kerrigan mut
tered in a moment, looking at his
watch. “He’s been long enough. It’s
eleven.”
Impulsively Hal said, “It’s not
Crack," and wondered why he was
so coolly sure.
Barry looked around at him slow
ly, solemnly. “How d’you know?"
she said.
Hal moved a little inside his
clothes. “Doesn’t feel like him,” he
said. He gave a short, uneasy
laugh of deprecation.
The footfalls—made by heavy,
stiff-soled shoes—brought their slov
enly beat nearer and stopped. Hal
got up and walked around the car.
“Evening,” he called into the dark.
“Evenin’, evenin’,” came a cracked
voice after an Interval. “You the
folks got the lire? I seen it from a
way back and come to see what
was goin’ on.”
He clumped up to the fire—a tall,
ratty man, no hat on hl3 tangled
hair, shirt dirtily open at his throat,
blue-jeans cut off about three Inches
above the tops of his veteran cow
boots. 1113 grinning lips were
stained at the corners and his
bright, empty eyes watched the fire,
not any of the three who were near
to It.
“You folks stranded, ’ey? he said
cheerily In a minute,
"Looks It,’’ said Kerrigan.
"Didn’t see n fella go out to the
highway and get a lift Into town,
did you?’’ Hal said. “Late this after
noon?’’
“No," Bald the man. "Last week
I seen a feller get a lift out on the
road. Coin’ west, he was. But I
mind these other folks was stranded
there—over t’other side. I come on
one of ’em drlnkln’ water out of a
little crick we got. I says to him,
‘How’s it taste?’ an’ he says ‘Good,’
an’ I says, ‘That’s good, I’m glad
t'know’ an’ he says, ‘Why?’ an’ I
told him why.” He laughed silently
without looking at any of them.
“Why?’* said Barry In calm in
terest.
“ ’Cause I found one o’ my sheep
lyin’ drownded f’uther up the crick
where he was drlnkln’, an* I want
ed t’know how It tasted.”
“Did you tell him that?” said
Kerrigan.
"I told him," said the man. "He
didn’t like it."
(TO UE CONTINUED)
"QUOTES"
COMMENTS ON
CURRENT TOPICS BY
NATIONAL CHARACTERS
PREVENTION OF WAR
By Silt NORMAN ANGELL
English Publicist and Author.
THE public mind can easily
be persuaded to adopt poli
cies which mean war. The pre
war method of defense Is a fruit
ful cause of conflict. The method
consists in each state attempting to
be stronger than any other state
challenging its Interests.
The only way out is for the com
munity of states to create common
protection. The public thinks false
ly that armies and navies have the
same function ns police, whereas
their purpose really Is to permit the
Imposition of certain views upon
any challenger.
Defense of the Individual, wheth
er a person or a state, must be the
affair of the community. This prin
ciple gains force from the fact that
the defense of wealth In the mod
ern' world does not mean the de
fense of goods, as goods must
change hands to create wealth.
RADIO TALK8
By JOSIAH O. WALCOTT
Chancellor. State of Delaware.
THE grimmest irony in all
the radio programs that
come over the air is found in
that type of program where two
college professors, who are not real
ly In disagreement, debate with
each other according to a prepared
manuscript the merits of a certain
theory of money or the wisdom and
workability of some far-reaching
scheme of social reform—all to the
end that the people, the butchers,
the bakers and the candlestick
makers, may be equipped to form
an Intelligent judgment on the in
tricate subject and thereafter com
pel their representatives to act ac
cordingly, when as a matter of
fact two other professors of equal
standing and worth could be
picked up from almost any Insti
tution of learning to demonstrate
with a po8ltiveness equally pontif
ical that the first two are entirely
wrong.
CONSTITUTION MAN-MADE
By R. WALTON MOORE
rAssistant Secretary of State.
HAT, if anything, is to
transpire in the way of
constitutional modification is
unpredictable.
It la not practicable to maintain
for all time any provisions of a
Constitution that may disable rep
resentative democratic government
from functioning so as to take care
of new and growing popular needs
and demands.
Washington clearly Indicated In
his farewell address that he looked
on the Constitution as an experi
ment, and added that If, In the opin
ion of the people, thQ distribution
of constitutional power should be
In any particular wrong, let It be
corrected by‘amendment In the way
in which the Constitution desig
nates.
RURAL ELECTRIFICATION
By OWEN D. YOUNG
Chairman General Electric Company.
THE public service com
panies have extended their
lines far into rural areas, as far
as it was economically justifiable
to go. I welcome the activities of
the government In extending rural
service into uneconomic fields If
the social advantages of doing so
justify the government entering
Into such fields at nil.
Now that housing Is a new art,
as new and different from the old
as the motor car from the carriage,
I hope that the young nnd produc
tive brains of America may now
devote themselves to the home and
by Its ratio of Improvement bring
It In step with the vnst advances
we have made In other fields.
RAILWAY IMPROVEMENT
By COL. WILLIAM J. WILGUS
Engineer and Author.
THERE are several things
the railways must do. Dead
wood must be cleared away in
a ruthless manner. Unnecessary
sidelines and superfluous mainlines
must be cleared away.
The railways must abandon ob
solete things to which they have
been accustomed for 100 years.
They must ruthlessly cut away out
moded railway equipment.
They must amalgamate their ter
minals to cut expenses. There must
be groupings of railways and com
binations of railways instead of
fighting.
ANGLO-AMERICAN AMITY
By ANTHONY EDEN
Lord Privy Seal of Britain.
Friendship with the
United States is of the first
importance. It exists today,
and It will grow; and everything
that we can do to promote that
friendship will be readily and
eagerly done.
There is nothing Incompatible be
tween friendship with the United
States and membership In the
League of Nations. It is not we or
the Lengtie of Nations or any gov
ernment that has tied us up with
Europe. Geography has done that
WNIT Barvlca.
More Discussion as to
New World’s Discovery
9
In spite of the tribute paid Colum
bus and the recognition given I-lef
Ericsson, the Norseman, for his
earlier lahdlng on the shores of
America there is still considerable
uncertainty ns to who was actually
the tirst discoverer of the New
world. Archeologists take us back
an Indeterminable number of years
to what they consider the first dis
covery when hordes came to our
continent from Asia, crossing the
Bering straits from Siberia to Alas
ka and then making their way south.
Others picture some of the tribes
crossing over from Asia In boats and
settling In America with still a few
coming by way of Alaska. Evidence
indicates thnt the Maya civilization
In Central America had reached a
high state shortly after the denth
of Christ. This would mean that
the first boats landed on our shores
at a very early date, or the greut
migration through Alaska started
ages ago.
But dropping the consideration of
the first coming of man because of
Its apparent remoteness there is still
evidence that Columbus was at least
as far down as third on the list of
early comers to America. Even be
fore Lief Ericsson and his band of
rovers were blown upon the shores
of the New world Irish wanderers
may have landed here. The most
pointed evidence Is the existence on
old Irish mnps of an Island called
Brazil, located about where New
foundland now appears on modern
BLIND HUSBANDS IN COLONY
A two-hour Journey from Belgrade
reveals one of the strangest villages
In the world, where all the husbands
are blind and the work of the colony
Is directed by the wives who see.
The town of Vetrenlk Is the first
blind war veterans’ colony In Yugo
slavia, the first In a progrnm of land
settlements for the blind undertaken
by the government.
The government Institute for the
blind has arranged many marriages
for unmarried blind veterans and
aids the couples in the settlement
nt Vetrenlk. The men are employed
In useful crafts and the household
work and operation of the colony are
managed by the wives.
Venom for Rheumatism
An old-fashioned cure for rheu
matism and arthritis was to allow
, the patient to be stung by bees. The
I same principle has now been ndapfed
scientifically. In a German factory
scores of girls, protected by masks
and overalls, are employed in the
work of squeezing the venom from
the stingers of live bees.
maps. An even weightier fact in
connection with this implied discov
ery of America is the fact that on
these old maps the outlines of the
Island are strikingly similar to the
land surrounding the Gulf of SL
I>awrenee. John Cabot had one of
these ancient maps nnd was search
ing for “Brazil” when he found
North America.
Then, too, there Is the Irish leg
end of the old saint who sailed to
the far-off land where he was greet
ed by a strange figure with his body
all decorated with feathers. There
are also other facts which would
support the theory of an Irish dis
covery. When the Norsemen first
arrived at Iceland in 870 they found
that the Island had been occupied by
Irish Christians for nearly a cen
tury. The nearness of Iceland to
Greenland and its nearness to the
New world mokes it seem entirely
possible that the Irish might have
visited America at an early date.
Then, too, there Is the possibility
that some of the Irish boats might
have been blown from their courses
onto American shores while going to
and from Iceland as was Lief Erics
son’s. The Irish of ancient times
were sea rovers as were the Norse
men of a little later period.—Path
finder.
_
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