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About The Plattsmouth journal. (Plattsmouth, Nebraska) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 16, 1908)
PLACE By AJVDALL'PABMSifIUrmOfJ COPY? KMT FX fir A CftCLtPC M (V. "No; 1 noticed the 'V on his "hat, of course, but never asked any questions, for his face was strange. I didn't know. The name, when you Just spoke It, Btruck me rather queer. I I used to know a ISrant in the Seventh, but he was much older; it was not this man." She answered something, lingering for a moment at the door, but he made no response, and she passed out si lently, leaving him staring moodily through the open window, his eyes ap pearing glazed and sightless. An hour later he was still sitting on the hard chair by the window, a cigar between his teeth, thinking. The low ering sun was pouring a perfect flood of gold across the rag carpet, but he remained utterly unconscious as to aught save the gloomy trend of his own awakened memories. Some one rapped upon the outer door. "Come in." he exclaimed, carelessly, and barely glancing up. "Well, what is it this time. Mrs. Guffy?" The landlady had never before see this usually happy guest in his pres ent mood, and she watched him cu riously. "A man wants ter see ye," she an nounced, shortly, her band on the knob. "Oh, I'm in no shape for play to night; go back, and tell him so." "Sure, an it's aisy 'nough ter see thet wid half an eye. But this un isn't thet kolnd of a man, an' he's so moighty perlite about it. Oi jist cudn't sind the loikes of him away. It's 'Missus Guffy, me dear madam, wud ye be koind enough to convey me com pliments to Misther Robert Hampton, and requist him to grant me a few minutes of his toime on an important matter?" Sure, an' what do ye think of thet?" "Huh! one of those fellows who had these rooms?" and Hampton rose to bis feet with animation. The landlady lowered her voice to an almost inaudible whisper. "It's the Her. Howard Wynkoop," she announced, impressively, dwelling upon the name. "The Rev. Howard Wynkoop. the Prasbytarlan missionary wouldn't thet cork ye?" It evidently did, for Mr. Hampton stared at her for fully a minute in an amazement too profound for fit ex pression in words. Then he swal lowed something in his throat. "Show the gentleman up," he said, shortly, and eat down to wait. The Rev. Howard Wynkoop was neither giant nor dwarf, but the very fortunate possessor of a countenance which at once awakrned confidence in his character. He entered the room quietly, rather dreading this interview with one of Mr. Hampton's well-known proclivities, yet in this case feeling abundantly fortified in the righteous ness of his cause. His brown eyes met the inqui3itive gray ones frankly, and Hampton waved, him silently to ward a vucant chuir. "Our lints of labor in this vineyard being so entirely opposite." the latter said, coldly, but with intended polite ness, "the honor of your unexpected call quite overwhelms me. I shall have to trouble you to speak somewhat softly in explanation of your present mission, so as not to disturb a young girl wfto chances to be sleeping in the room beyond." "It was principally upon her account I ventured to call," Wynkoop ex plained in sudden confidence. "Might I see her?" Hampton's watchful eyes swept the other's face suspiciously, and his hands clinched. "Relative?" he asked gravely. The preacher shook his head. -Friend of the family, perhaps?" "No, Mr. Hampton. My purpose In coming here is perfectly proper, yet the request was not advanced as a right, but merely as a special priv ilege." A moment Hampton hesitated; then he arose and quietly crossed the room, holding open the door. Without a word being spoken the minister fol lowed, and stood beside him. For several minutes the eyes of both men rested upon the girl's sleeping form "I Have Shot Men for Less. Go, Be 1 fore I Forget Your Cloth." and upturned face. Then Wynkoop drew silently back, and Hampton closed the door noiselessly. i h ' 1MH "Well7' he said, inquiringly, "what does all this mean?" "Let us sit down again," said the minister, "and I will try to make my purpose sufficiently clear. I am not here to mince words, nor do I believe you to be the kind of a man who would respect me if I did. I may Bay some thing that will not sound pleasant, but In the cause of my Master I cannot hesitate. You are an older man than I, Mr. Hampton; your experience in life has doubtless been much broader than mine, and It may even be that in point of education you are likewise my superior. Nevertheless, as the only minister of the gospel residing in this community It is beyond question my plain duty to speak a few words to you In behalf of this young lady, -and her probable future. I trust not to be offensive, yet cannot shirk the require ments of my sacred office.". The speaker paused, somewhat dis concerted perhaps by the hardening of the lines in Hampton's face. "Go on," commanded Hampton, tersely, "only let the preacher part slide, and say just what you have to say as man to man." "I prefer to do so," he continued. "It will render my, unpleasant task much easier, and yield us both a more direct road to travel. I have been laboring on this field for nearly three years. When I first came here you were pointed out to me as a most dan gerous man, and ever since then I have constantly been regaled by the stories of your exploits. I have known you merely through such unfriendly reports, and came here strongly preju diced against you as a representative of everj' evil I war against. We have never met before, because there seemed to be nothing in common be tween us; because I had been led to suppose you to be an entirely different man from what I now believe you are." Hampton stirred uneasily in his chair. "Shall I paint In exceedingly plain words the picture given me of you?" There was no response, but the speaker moistened his lips and pro ceeded firmly. "It was that of a pro fessional gambler, utterly devoid of mercy toward his victims; a reckless fighter, who shot to kill upon the least provocation; a man without moral character, and from whom any good action was impossible. That was what was said about you. Is the tale true?" Hampton laughed unpleasantly, his eyes grown hard and ugly. "I presume it must be," he admitted, with a quick side glance toward the closed door, "for the girl out yonder thought about the same. A most ex cellent reputation to establish with only ten years of strict attendance to business." Wynkoop's grave face expressed his disapproval. "Wc-11, in my present judgment that report was not altogether true," he went on clearly and with greater con fidence. "I did suppose you exactly that sort of a man when I first came into this room. I have not believed so, however, for a single moment since. Nevertheless, the naked truth is certainly bad enough, without any necessity for our resorting to romance. You may deceive others by an assump tion of recklessness, but I feel con vinced your true nature is not evil. It has been warped through some cause which is none of my business. Let us deal alone with facts. You are a gam bler, a professional gambler, with all that that implies; your life is, of neces sity, passed among the most vicious and degrading elements of mining camps, and you do not hesitate even to take human life when in your judg ment it seems necessary to preserve your own. Under this veneer of law lessness you may. indeed, possess a warm heart, Mr. Hampton; you may be a good fellow, but you are certain ly not a model character, even accord ing to the liberal code of the border." "Extremely kind of you to enter my rooms uninvited, and furnish me v.ith this list of moral deficiencies." ac knowledged the other with affected carelessness. "But thus far you have failed to tell me anything strikingly new. Am I to understand you have some particular object in this ex change of amenities?" "Most assuredly. It is to ask if such a person as you practically confess yourself to be homeless, associating only with the most despicable and vicious characters, and leading so un certain and disreputable a life can be fit to assume charge of a girl, almost a woman, and mould her future?" For. a long, breathless moment Hampton stared incredulously at his questioner, crushing his cigar between his teeth. Twice he started to speak, but literally choked back the bitter words burning his lips, while an un controllable admiration for the other's boldness began to overcome his first fierce anger. "By God!" he exclaimed at last, ris ing to his feet and pointing toward the door. "I have shot men for less. Go. before I forget your cloth. You little impudent fool! See here I saved that girl from death, or worse; I plucked her from the very mouth of hell; I like her; she's got sand; so far as I know there is not a single soul for her to turn to for help In all this wide world. And you. you miserable, snivelling hypocrite, you little creep ing Prn-byterian parFon. you want me to shake her! What sort of a wild beast do you suppCKO I am?" Wynkoop had taken one hasty step backward, impelled to it by the fierce aneer blazing from those stern, gray ryes. Hut now he paused, and, for the only time on record, discovered the conventional language of polite so ciety inadequate to express his needs. "I think," he said, scarcely realizing his own words, "you are a damned fool." Into Hampton's eyes there leaped a light upon which other men had looked before they died, the strange mad gleam one sometimes sees in fighting animals, or amid the fierce charges of war. His hand swept instinctively backward, closing upon the butt of a revolver beneath his coat, and for one second he who had dared such utter ance looked or death. Then the hard lines about the man's mouth softened, the fingers clutchiu the weapon re laxed, and Hampton laid one opened hand upon the minister's shrinking shoulder. "Sit down," he said, his voice un steady from so sudden a reaction. "Perhaps perhaps I don't exactly un derstand." For a full minute they sat thus look ing at each other through the fast dimming light, like two prize-fighters meeting for the. first .time within the ring, and taking mental stock before beginning their physical argument. Hampton, with a touch of his old au dacity of manner, was first to break the silence. "So you think I am a damned fool. Well, we are in pretty fair accord as to that fact, although no one before has ever ventured to state it quite so clearly in my presence. ' Perhaps you will kindly explain?" The preacher wet his dry lips with his iongue, forgetting himself when his thoughts began to crystallize Into expression. "I regret havjng spoken as I did," he began. "Such language is not my custom. I was irritated because of your haste in rejecting my advances before hearing the proposition I came to submit. I certainly respect your evident desire to be of assistance to this young woman, nor have I the slightest intention of Interfering be tween you. Your act in preserving her life was truly a noble one, and your loyalty to her interests since is worthy of all Christian praise. But I believe I have a right to ask, what do you intend for the future? Keep her with you? Drag her about from camp to camp? Educate her among the contaminating poison of gambling holes and dance-halls? Is her home hereafter to be the saloon and the rough t frontier hotel? Her ideal of manhood the quarrelsome gambler, and of womanhood a painted harlot? Mr. Hampton, you are evidently a man of education, of early refinement; you have known better things; and I have come to you seeking merely to aid you in deciding this helpless young wom an's destiny. I thought, I prayed, you would be at once interested in that purpose, and would comprehend the reasonableness of my position." Hampton sat silent, gazing out of the window, his eyes apparently on the lights now becoming dimly visible in the saloon opposite. For a consid erable time he made no move, and the other straightened back in his chair watching him. "Well!" he ventured at last, "what is your proposition?" The question was quietly asked, but a slight tremor in the low voice told of repressed feel ing. "That, for the present at least, you confide this girl into the care of some worthy woman." "Have you any such in mind?" "I have already discussed the mat ter briefly with Mrs. Herndon, wife of the superintendent of the Golden Rule mines. She is a refined Christian lady, beyond doubt the most proper person to assume such a charge in this camp." Hampton flung his sodden cigar butt out of the window. "I'll talk it over to-morrow with with Miss Gillis," he said, somewhat gruffly. "It may be this means a good deal more to me than you suppose, parson, but I'm bound to acknowledge there is consid erable hard sense in what you have Just said, and I'll talk it over with the girl." Wynkoop held out his hand cordial ly and the firm grasp of the other closed over his fingers. "I don't exactly know why I didn't kick you downstairs," the latter com mented, as though still in wonder' at himself. "Never remember being quite so considerate before, but I reckon you must have come at me in r.bout the right way." If Wynkoop answered, his words were indistinguishable, but Hampton remained standing in the open door watching the missionary go down the narrow stairs. "Nervy little devil." he acknowl edged slowly to himself. "And maybe, after all. that would be the best thing for the Kid." CHAPTER VI. "To Be or Not to Be." They were seated rather close togeth er upon the steep hillside, gazing silent ly down upon squalid Glencaid. At such considerable distance all the dull shab biness of the mining town had disap peared, and it seemed almost ideal, viewed against the natural background of brown rocks and green trees. Every where was loneliness, no sound telling of the labor of man reached them, and the few scattered buildings far below resembling mere doll-houses. They had conversed only upon the constantly changing beauty of the scene, or of Incidents connected with their upward climb, while moving slowly along the trail through the fresh morning sunshine. Now they sat in silence, the young girl, with cheeks flushed and dreamy eyes aglow, gazed far off along the valley, the ! man watching her curiously, and won i derinsr how best to annroach his task. Observing her now, sitting thus in total unconsciousness of his scrutiny, Hampton made no attempt to analyze the depth of his interest for this waif who had- come drifting into his life. Even to his somewhat prejudiced eyes she was not an attractive crea ture, for she possessed no clear con ception of how to render apparent those few feminine charms she pos sessed. Negligence and total uncon sciousness of self, coupled with lack of womanly companionship and guid ance, had left her altogether in the rough. He marked now the coarse ragged shoes, the cheap patched skirt, the tousled auburn hair, the sunburnt cheeks with a suggestion of freckles plainly visible beneath the eyes, and some of the fastidiousness of early days caused him to shrug his shoul ders. Yet underneath the tan there was the glow of perfect young health; the eyes were frank, brave, unflinch ing; while the rounded chin held a world of character in its firm con tour. Somehow the sight of this brought back to him that abiding faith In her "dead gameness" which had first awakened his admiration. "Kid." he ventured at last, "you were talking while we came up the trail about how we'd do this and that after awhile. You don't suppose I'm going to have any useless girl like you hanging around on to me, do you?" She glanced quickly about at him, as though such unexpected expressions startled her from a pleasant reverie. "Why, I I thought that was the way you planned it yesterday," she ex claimed, doubtfully. - "Oh, yesterday! Well, you see, yes terday I was sort of dreaming; to-day I am wide awake, and I've about de cided, Kid, that for your own good, and my comfort, I've got to shake you." A sudden gleam of fierce resentment leaped into the dark eyes, the un restrained glow of a passion which had never known control. "Ohf you have, have you, Mr. Bob Hampton? You have about decided! Well, why don't you altogether decide? I don't think I'm down en my knees begging you for mercy. Good Lord! I reck on I can get along all right without I you l did before. Just wnat hap pened to give you such a change of heart?" "I made the sudden discovery," he said, affecting a laziness he was far from feeling, "that you were too near being a young woman to go traipsing around the country with me, living at shacks, and having no company but gambling sharks, and that class of cattle." "Oh, did you? What else?" "Only that our tempers don't ex actly seem to jibe, and the two of "I Thir.k You Are a Damned Fool." us can't be bosses in the same ranch." She looked at him contemptuously, swinging her body farther around on the rock, and sitting stiffly, the color on her cheeks deepening through tre sunburn. "Now see here, Mister Bob Hampton, you're a fraud, and you know it! Didn't I understand exact ly who you was, and what was yaur business? Didn't I know you was a gambler, and a 'bad man?' Didn't I tell you plain enough out yonder" and her voice faltered slightly " what Fthought about you? Good Lord! I haven't been begging to stick with you, have I? I just didn't know which way to turn to, after dad was killed, and you sorter hung on to me, and I let it go the way I supposed you wanted it. But I'm not particularly stuck on your style, let me tell you, and I reckon there's plenty of ways for me to get along. Only first, I pro pose to understand what your little game is. You don't throw down your hand like that without some reason." Hampton sat up, spurred into in stant admiration by such independ ence of spirit. "You grow rather good looking, Kid. when you get hot, but you go at things half-cocked, and you've got to get over it. That's the whole trouble you've never been trained, and I wouldn't make much of a trainer for a high-strung filly like you. Ever remember your mother?" "Mighty little; reckon she must have died when I was about five years old. That's her picture." Hampton took in his hand the old fashioned locket she held out toward him, the long chain still clasped about her throat, and pried open the stiff catch with his knife blade. She bent down to fasten her loosened shoe, and when her eyes were uplifted his gaze was riveted upon the face in the picture. "Mighty pretty, wasn't she?" she asked, with a sudden girlish interest, bending forward to look, regardless of his strained attitude. "And she was The County 1 7 fess of General Interest Selectel Loviisville "rom ttie Courier. Harry Jones and family, of Omaha, visited here over Sunday with Mr. and Mrs. F. V. Schleifert. Oscar and Arthur Palmer and Bert Jacobson returned to their studies at Wesleyan university Monday evening Thi Free Methodist people are hold ing a revival this week, Rev. L. Fori man and others assisting in the meet ings. A Chester-White sow owned by Dan Phelps gave birth to eighteen pigs, and Dan says there is not a runt in the litter, Miss Beth Maxfield returned to Wesleyan university Monday evening after having spent her holiday vacation at home. Chas. Hoover departed Wednesday for North Platte to resume his position as locomotive firemen on the Union Pacific. His run is from North Platte to Sidney. Chris. Gauer went to Council Bluffs Monday to visit Fred Schroeder who is in a hospital at that place, suffering from nervous prostration and his many old time Cass county friends will regret to learn that he has almost lost his mind. The drill team of the local Woodmen camp, accompanied by about a dozen members, went to Murdock Tuesday evening, by invitation of the camp of that place, and conferred the initiatory degree on three candidates. They were treated royally by the Murdock Wood men and all felt repaid for their ride across the country. An Insidious Danger. One of the worst features of kidney trouble is that it is an insidious disease and before the victim realizes his dan ger he may have a fatal malady. Take Foley's Kidney Cure at the first sign of troubles as it corrects irregularities and prevents Bright's disease and diabetes r sale by F. G. Frii'o & Cr Nehawka (From the Register.) Julius Ruhman has been appointed guard at the penitentiary at Lincoln, and has entered upon his duties as such. Mrs. J. M. Stone who has been at Nebraska City for some months taking medical treatment spent the holidays at home. She returned to the city Thursday. Adolph Schwatz and two others of the Schwartz family are suffering from an epedemic of very sore eyes. John says it is a kind of pink eye. The eyes of those suffering from it swell up and become badly inflamed. Otto Schacht's family we understand are having an attack of the .same dis ease. A dispatch was received at Platts mouth Wednesday from Sheridan, Wyo., announcing the death of Fred Kroehler, formerly of Plattsmouth, and well known to many of our citizens. He will be remembered as taking a promi nent part in the "cannon war" here many year ago. James Lemon and family loaded their effects into a car Wednesday and dedarted for their new home in Wil lard, Kansas. The best wishes of the Register will accompany them. Mrs. W. H. Porter and daughter Letha, returned from York Wednes day, where she had been visiting rela tives. Grandma Carper who has been at the same place for two months re turned with her. George Holmes was called to Omaha the first of the week by the road mas ter of the Omaha line and was tendered the section between Union and Murray which he has accepted, and was called there to take permanent charge Tues day. This is a good section and George we have no doubt will be able care of it. Zach Shrader returned from Harlan county last Friday, where he had been with the calves that he bought from the Sheidon Estate. He got them in fine shape without losing a single one and has them all eating alfalfa hay. Zack says that he had the distinction of having the finest bunch of young stuff that was ever taken into that country, and his only regret is that he j did not buy more of them. A New Year's gathering at the home j of Mrs. Fred Schomaker marked the thirtieth successive gathering at that place for the purpose of celebrating New Year's day. The first one was when this place was owned by Mr. Timm and of all the neighbors then present there is only two living, Geo. Hansen and John Schwartz. There was present on this occasion only the families of John Wunderlich and John Schwartz. August Back, sr., was a business visitor in the metropols this afternoon. Exchanges -3 from tbi Columns of Cooteraporirlis J WILL ENDEAVOR TO PLEASE PEOPLE Transportation Managers to Take the Public Into Their Confidcnc Wher ever Interest is Shown by People. "The Burlington has nothing what ever to hide from the public these days, ' ' says a Burlington man in a position of authority, to a Lincoln Journal reporter. "We are going to make friends with the people, try to give them good ser vice, make an effort to perform every function that a well regulated railroad should perform for its patrons and the territory it serves. We are making no secret rates, giving no special service to favored patrons, and are trying to obey the laws. The service given i service for the public and the public may learn what it inquires about. We are not seeking newspaper notoriety nor newspaper discussions, but any thing about the operation or manage ment of the road is open and may be made public. The road wants to keep on friendly terms with the people. It wants to serve them." A representative of another railroad points out that railroad officials are more talkative now than they were a few years ago. He observes that Mr. Mohler of the Union Pacific has been honored by the Omaha Commercial club and that Mr. Mohler goes about meet ing patrons of the road, making speeches and explaining the position of the road in its relation to the business producing public. During Mr. Willard's frequent trips over the lines west of the Bur lington he has frequently met business men and has talked to them about busi ness and railroad affairs, open, unre servedly and with a frankness unknown to the railroad managers of a generation ago. Mr. Stickney of the Great West ern, for a number of years has made a practice of meeting business men. The pioneer railroad man in this work of getting in touch with the patrons of the road, in talking to them about busi ness matters and learning what they want, is James J. Hill. He began it when he began with the transportation business. He has talked to the farmers of the northwest at their county fairs. at their celebrations wherever and whenever he could be present when an invitation was extended. From the start he has said things, and the fact that he has talked volubly and well has startled and bothered railroad managers of the old school. Other railaoad men have talked, but few have said more that really touched things the people wanted to know about. Of late, however, a marked change has been noticed by railroad ob servers, and the Burlington's state ment that it has nothing to hide from the public is believed more generally now that it would have been a few years ago. Chamberlain's Coufih Remedy a Safe Remedy for Children. In buying a cough remedy for chil dren, neyer be afraid to buy Chamber lain 's Cough Remedy. There is no dan ger from it and relief is sure to follow. It is intended especially for coughs, colds, croup and whooping cough, and there is no better medicine in the world for these diseases. It is not only a cer tain cure for croup, but, when given as soon as the croupy cough appears, will prevent the attack. Whooping cough is not dangerous when this remedy is given as directed. It contains no opium or other harmful drugs, and may be given as confidently to a baby as to an adult. For sale by F. G. Fricke & Co. Ray Chriswisser Improving. Yesterday Mrs. Ray Chriswisser was a visitor in Omaha and on returning home, in conversation with a reporter said that Mr. Chriswisser was progress ing nicely now and that he was able to sit up some Sunday, and has had the stitches in his side removed, and is given assurance by the attending physicians that he may come home by the last of the week. This is pleasant news to hi3 many friends who have watched his progress with a great deal of solicitude, ever hoping for his recovery, although at times it looked doubtful. A Cure for Misery. "I have found a cure for the misery malaria poison produces," says R. M. James, of Louellen, S. C. "It's called Electric Bitters, and comes in 50 cent bottles. It breaks up a case of chills or a bilious attack in almost no time; and it puts yellow jaundice clean out of commission." This great tonic medi cine and blood purifier gives quick re lief in all stomach, liver and kidney complaints and the misery of lame back. Sold under guarantee at F. C. Fricke & Co. 's drug store.