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About The Loup City northwestern. (Loup City, Neb.) 189?-1917 | View Entire Issue (June 28, 1917)
CHAPTER XXI. —13— The Testimony of the Dead. Just as Helen Illingworth and Win ters r<*a<*tied the lower level at the foot of the mesa, they were Joined by Rod ney. “What has happened?" cried the en gineer. Winters answered us the three hur ried aloug without stopping: "Meade blew up the hogback." "Was that he?" “Yes." “I (bought there was something fa miliar about him. but I did not dare—” ”1 recognized him Instantly," said Helen Illingworth. “That atones for the International." continued Rodney. "What does?" asked his friend. “The dam Is safe; the water has ■toptted rising. I believe It's beginning to fall a little. I saw someone Jump up on the palisade and wave his hnud. and then I saw them all gather around, evidently cheering.” "I should think the water would be lowered.” said Winters* “it's pouring out of a hole in the hogback as big as a church." “It was a flne thing in Meade. Let's hurry and tell him so.” answered Rod ney. “I'm afraid it's too late.” said Win ters. i 'll, u<'U i snj uioi, v mu B— "Why. what’s happened?” “The second blast was slow in going off." said Winters; “he went buck to look at It. and got knocked over. It looked pretty bad from the top of the meaa.'* Rodney would not have been human If he had not fett a leap In his breast at the possibility, but he was too loyal a friend and too genuinely fond of Meade for more than u passing emo tion. for which he was more thuu a little ashamed. “Let us press on.” he urged. In a few moments they stopped by the three men. Meade was still un conscious. The big Irishman sat on the grass with the engineer’s head on his knee. The deft-fingered little Ital ian was trying to wash the blood away from the unconscious man's forehead with a sodden. raggnl piece of cloth. Meade was unconscious, he was breath ing heavily. There was a catch in his respiration. His breath came at irreg ular intervals and was lulsired as if painful. A huge rock had struck him in the breast. The two men h:ol torn open his shirt and undershirt. The engi neer's chest was bruised and bloody. Evidently bones had been broken, and probably serious internal Injurb-s had resulted. Every breath was an appar ent agony, and that the exquisite pain did not arouse him to consciousness was evidence of the terrible nature of the injury. A smaller, sharper rock *-----i A Huge Rock Had Struck Him in the Breast. had ■ at him across the forehead and eh*-* . Ju»t missing his right eye, and th*> found out afterward that he had been struck by several other pieces dislodged hv the explosion, and that his body was covered with bruises. Rut there was nothing, not even In the cut on the forehead, to cause any great alarm had it not been for the crushed el »t. Winters and Rodney were both no n of action, accustomed to qu. k '.Making and prompt derision In emergencies; while Iielun Illing worth • uld only stand with clenched hand' 'taring In mental anguish that paralleled the physical suffering of the man she loved, the engineer and the rancher immediately made prep arations to get the wounded man to the car. Murphy wort in his belt a short word . m s ax. With It they rut down two young sapling, trimmed them and thru*ting them through the sleeves of th>-ir raincoats they made a fairly prac ticable litter, i'sing the utmost cure, they hritl the one. • - ions man upon it and Winters and Murphy, the two big gest in* a, to. k tic handles at either end. Helen Illingworth, praying as she had never prayed before, sought to supl*»rt the unconscious man’s bead. The Italian gathered up the tools and went ahead to open up the path. Rod ney followed after. Their progress was slow of neces alty. They had to handle Meade with great ear**. Winters and Rodney, after the brief inspection they had made, could not ace a chance on earth for him. Neither could Helen Illingworth. They went along without conversation, naturally, except for an outburst of ad miration from Winters. "I tell you." he said, “it was a mag uitieeur tiling for him to do. He risked his life a hundred times in that mud rush with the dynamite in his hands I and the detonators in his pocket. Yet , If he had only stayed baek he would have been safe.” "It was his anxiety for the dam and ! the people that brought him down,” said Helen Illingworth. “He can’t die,” she murmured. “God surely will not let him die. I love him so. And yet if he does and I have lost him, innocent or guilty, he has redeemed his fame.” “He saved others.” quoted Rodney under his breath, “himself he could not save.” It was a work of great difficulty to get the wounded engineer into the car, but they Anally managed it. By the woman's direction they laid him on her bed in her own private stateroom. “One of us must go for a doctor at once.” said Rodney, “and that will be my job.” "It's twenty miles to the town.” said the conductor, who had helped to receive them. “If one of you could telegraph we could tap a wire.” None of them could. “It's nil down-grade and there’s n good roadbed and I was some sprinter In my college days.” said Rodney. “And there was never greater need of haste thnn now." said Winters. "I wish I had a horse here.” i gut- up, miss umigwiirui. continued Rodney, as he started to ward the door. “He’s alive yet.” Just then, opportunely enough, rounding the last curve before the arch bridge, they saw the end of the other car rapidly approaching them. Had they not been so excited they could have heard the furious puffing of the engine as it drove the cur at great si>eed up the heavy gratae. “Wait,” suid the conductor, “we can send the engine down for the doctor. That'll be the colonel's car.” In a few minutes the car stopped on the siding. Out of it came Colonel I Illingworth, Doctor Severance, Curtiss, and some of the officials of the Bridge ! company in town. They were ull great ly excited. The colonel did not stop to put on his hat. He ran to the other car and climbed aboard. “The dam’s going,” he shouted. “The bridge and the town will be flooded. We got word an hour ago by a messen ger galloping down. The telephone wires are down. I ran the cur up here as the quickest way to get over to the reservoir and the dam. Some of you who know the way come with me.” By this time the observation room of the car was filled with men. "You need not worry ubout the dam,” suid Rodney. "What do you mean?” “A man blew up the hog-back, made a spill-way, the water rushed out through it into the ravine, you can see it below there, relieving the pres sure on the dam at once. Since it has held up till now it will hold for good.” "Thank God !” cried the colonel, sink ing down into a chair and wiping the sweat off his brow. ‘The bridge will be safe then. By George,” he gasped, “the Martlet company could hardly have stood another loss like that. Who’s tlie man who blew it up?” "His name is Meade,” said Rodney quietly. “Not—?” I CS. There was a long pause. Every man there knew of the failure of the International and In what estimation the old colonel held the name of Meade because of that. “Well, it was a tine thing," said the colonel; “it makes up for his blunder ing work on the bridge.” “Bog pardon, sir." said Shurtjiff, who had stood wide-eyed and white and suf fering in silence ever since the engi neer had been brought to the car, "it was not his blunder.” “Why, you said so yourself,” cried the colonel. "I lied," admitted the secretary. Quick as a flash Rodney had his notebook out. Here was the proof at lust. "Why?” “To save the reputation of the man I loved.” “And how do I know you are not lying for this man now?” asked the | colonel harshly. "These will prove it,” said ShurtlifT, extending some papers he drew out of j bis pocket, where he had placed them ;hat morning half intending to tell Helen Illingworth the truth at last. "What are these?” the colonel asked, staring at ShurtlifT. who stood erect be ; fore them, sustained more by his wilt I than anything else, for his knees were shaking and his body quivering; yet he was glad after all, more happy than he 1 had thought he could be. in making the revelation, in vindicating the innocent, in giving that satisfaction to Helen Illingworth, tardy, even too late, though it might be. “Letters, sir. You will find there a blueprint of the design of the compres sion members,” answered ShurtlifT monotonously ns if he had forced his mind to a certain action nnd it was working automatically. “With It is a letter front Bertram Meade to his fa ther suggesting that the lacings were too light and calling attention to the empiric formula of Schmidt-Chemnitz In proof of his argument. On the back of that letter Mr. Bertram Meade, Sr., made an indorsement—you know his handwriting and can Identify it— ‘Hold until bridge Is finished and then give back to the boy. We’ll show him that even Schmidt-Chemnitz doesn’t know everything.’1" Colonel Illingworth turned the paper over. There was the Indorsement. “Well, by heaven I” he began. “There’s another paper in an envel ope addressed to the editor of the New York Gazette. Will you read It aloud, sir?” Almost us if he had been hypnotized Colonel Illingworth took from the en velope the brief note. He read it: I alone am responsible for the error in the design of the International bridge, which has resulted In this terrible disas ter. I know that my son, In an effort to shield me, w-ill assume the responsibility. As a matter of fact, he had previously pointed out what he believed to be struc tural weakness, but I refused to heed his representations and overbore his objec tions. The fault is entirely chargeable to me. There is no possible expiation for ms blunder. The least 1 can do is to assume all the responsibility. The blame is mine. BERTRAM MEADE. He laid it down with the other pa pers. “The demonstration is complete and absolute,” he began spontaneously, amid a breathless silence. “The proofs I I ----J "Certainly, My Dear Girl," Said the Vice President. are adequate. They would establish young Meade’s innocence in any court in the land. Where is he? I have done him an injustice. I am ready to make amends,” continued the colonel. “Anti while you are talking” said Helen Illingworth, who had been stand ing in the doorway too absorbed by the dramatic recital to interrupt it, “lie's dying.” “Dying! Where?” “He was battered to pieces by the last dynamite explosion. We brought him here.” “Were you there?” “We saw it from the top of the mesa. Oh. don’t talk any longer.” “Severence.” said Illingworth, with prompt decision, “you haven't forgot ten all your old medical skill. This is your job. One of you jump on the en gine and bring a physician up and—” “I’m going,” said Rodney. “Who's the best doctor in town?" “Doctor Fraser. He's a young man, but very skillful,” answered one of the local bridge men. “Bring our own Doctor Bailey up tiere from our hospital with him, and tell that engine driver to get down to the town and back just os quickly as he can go. Cheer up, Helen,” said the colonel. “I know that a man is not going to rehabilitate himself by j such an action and have the evidence of his innocence brought out at such a moment just to die.” mu you give me tnose papers, colo nel?" said Rodney. “You’ll want this written up and—” "Take them,” said the colonel. “Will you come along with me, Mr. Shurtliff? After I see the doctors I'll want your affidavit.” “Yes, sir, anything,” said Shurtliff. “It was tine of you,” said Winters, “to try to shield your employer and the man you loved, but thunk God, you spoke out before it was too lute. I'm sorry I pulled that gun on you; you’re a man, all right, even if you don't look j it,” he added to himself as Shurtliff bowed and followed Rodney. Winters stood at the door of the pas sageway leading to the stateroom white Helen Illiugworth and Severence, who had been educated as a physician, and the old colonel, who knew a great deal about wounds and accidents from his war experience, entered the stateroom. A new spirit had come into the rela tions between father and daught< r and both were glad. There was no ques tion now about the future. There should be no opposition from Colonel Illingworth.4 Within an hour the pu pers would have the story of how one man had saved a great dam, the via- j duct, the town, and its people, and they would have at the same time the story of who was responsible for the fall of the International bridge. They would have the story of the attempted self-sacrifice of the son to save the father. They would have the story of the old man's splendid and magnanim ous avowal of responsibility before he died. The United States, the world, would ring with the dramatic tale. It was as much to tell that story in his own way as to summon medical aid that Rodney had gone for the doc tor. And so the father held the daugh ter clasped to his side while both bent over the still unconscious man, whom Doctor Severence quickly and careful ly and with wonderful skill, consider ing his long withdrawal from practice, examined. “What is it?” asked the colonel as the vice president looked up presently. “My daughter is engaged to be married to him”—and he was rewarded by the thrill and quiver that shot through his daughter’s being which he felt as he pressed her to his side—“we can’t let him die now.” “He’s in God’s hands,” answered Severence gravely. “He’s been terribly pounded everywhere. His breastbone is shattered, soiue of his ribs are brok eu. I don't know.” “That awful cut on his forehead?” “That’s nothing.” “And the other bruises?” “They count but little, but the blow on the chest”—he shook his gray head sadly, ominously. “Do you think anything has pene trated his lungs?” asked Helen Illing worth. as she pointed to her lover’s lips, to a little bloody froth that came therefrom. The old man nooded. “Perhaps,” he said. “Oh, he can't die, he can’t, he can’t!” wailed the woman, sinking down on her knees by the bed. "Not if any power on earth can keep him from it, my dear child,” said the colonel tenderly, bending over her. “Send me the porter of the car.” said Severance, “and take Miss Illing worth away. I want to get him un dressed and—” “You will call me back the minute I can come?” “Certainly, my dear girl,” said the vice president, who had known the young woman from childhood. CHAPTER XXII. At Last to the Stars. All the men except Curtiss and Win ters had discreetly withdrawn from the car and had gone over to the mesa to look at the lake and the outlet. In deed tht' water was roaring down be neath the steel arch bridge, filling for the first time in generations the chan nel of the Kicking Horse. Fortunate ly it could flow that way without dan ger to the town or the viaduct below. The colonel led his daughter to a chair and then turned to Winters. “You were there?” he began. “Tell aie about it.” Graphically the big cattle rancher told the story of Meade’s mad rush over the rocks with his two compan ions, of the desperate assault on the hog-hack, of the success that had met their efforts to open the improvised spillway, and then the final disaster. The recital lost nothing in his graphic relation. "It was fine, it was magnificent,” said the colonel, patting his daughter's shoulder. “Where are the two who went with him?” “They’re outside there,” said Win ters. The old colonel went to the door of the ear and called the two men into the car. "In the bank down in Coronado there’s a thousand dollurs of mine for each of you," he said promptly. “We didn’t do it for money, sor,” said the big Irishman, “although ’twill be welcome enough, but how is Mr. Roberts?” “You mean that man who blew up the hog-back?" “Si, signore, a greata man he ees,” said the little Italian. “I wish I could say he was all right, but there's a doctor with him and we have sent for the best physician in town. He’s horribly hurt.” “But plaise God, he may pull through, sor. The Holy Virgin an’ the Saints presarve him," said the Irishman, mak ing the sign of the cross. And in his own language little Fun aro breathed a similar prayer and with his grimy, toil-stained hand he made the same gesture. "Murphy," shouted a voice from the pines on the side of the hill between the car and the mesa. “That’ll be Mr. Vandeventer, the resident engineer,” said Murphy. Colonel Illingworth turned to the door again. “Where’s Roberts?” cried Vandeven ter. stumbling down the hill. He was haggard and worn and weary to the point of exhaustion, but as soon as he had been assured of the safety of the dam—and before he left the water was visibly receding—he had started out to seek the engineer whom he had, in his mind in the excitement of the moment, accused of desertion. “He’s here in my car, sir," said Colo nel Illingworth. “And who are you, may I ask?” said Vandeventer, grossing the track and swinging himself upon the platform of the car. i am c oinnet luingworm, president of the Martlet Bridge company.” "But Roberts?” “His name is not Roberts. It’s Meade.” “What? The International man?” “Yes.” “I knew he was an engineer. Well, he’s made up for his failure there.” “He did not fail there any more than he failed here,’’ said the colonel. “Where is he?” “It's a long story.” “It can wait.” said Vandeventer brusquely. “I want to thank him for saving the dam and the lives of the men on it, and the town, and the rail road, and the bridge.” “I don’t know whether you can thank him or not,” said the colonel. “You don't mean—” “He was terribly hurt by the last ex plosion and they brought him here.” “Can I see him?” For answer Colonel Illingworth pointed to the door. “This is my daughter. Your name is Vandeventer, is it not? Helen, this is the engineer who is building the dam. He has come to ask after his man.” • ‘Tve done everything I can for him,” said Severence, coming out of the stateroom, followed by the porter, as Vandeventer shook hands with tin* girl, “lie’s still unconscious, but seems to breathe a little easier.” Into the little room tile woman and the four men crowded. Vandeventer, accompanied by Murphy and Funaro, followed the colonel. Neither of the workmen would be left out. There lay the engineer, his face as white as the linen of the pillow or the bandage which had been deftly tied around his head. One hand, still grimy and mud stained, lay on the sheet. Helen Il lingworth knelt down and kissed it and laid her head on the bed. “He Is to be my husband if he lives,” she said simply. “A man and an engineer he Is,” whis pered Vandeventer. “I misjudged you, Meade,” said the colonel softly, speaking as if the un conscious man could hear. “I con demned you. I wish to heaven you could hear me make amends now.” “Begob,” whispered Murphy, “you’d ought to seen him run wid the dinna mlte.” The voice of the Italian murmured words which they knew were prayers and though they came from humble lips they brought relief to all. They entered deeply into Helen Illingworth's heart and mingled with her own peti tions, frantic, fervent, imperative, al though she offered them to Almighty God as from a woman broken. Pres ently they all filed out of the room, leaving Helen Illingworth alone with what was left of life in the crushed body of the man she had never loved so much before. In the observation room Vandeventer told them of the fight for the dam and how they had reached their maximum power of resistance and more, and that the relief came in the very nick of time. Meanwhile the engine driver had burned up the track going and com ing and in less than an hour he was back with two surgeons and a trained nurse. Was it their skill and care and watchfulness that finally brought Meade hack to consciousness, or was it the passionate, consuming intensity of will and purpose of the woman who loved him. who could scarcely be driv en from his side? Well, whatever the reason, after many days he passed from death into life and came back again. He was conscious of Helen’s pres ence and lay quietly enveloped in her love before he could talk coherently or question. Indeed, with Rodney and Winters, and old Shurtliff. who swore to himself that he would never forgive himself if Meade did not recover, and the colonel, and Vandeventer, and all the men of the force, who used to stroll over after hours and just sit on the side of the track and stare at the car where the man who had saved them was fighting for his life as desperately as they had fought to save the dam, Meade was surrounded by such an at mosphere of admiration and devotion as might have stayed the hand of death itself. There came a day when the physician said he could talk a little. “I saw you,” Helen whispered. "I was standing on the high hill watch ing, looking down upon vou just be fore—” “But I shall look up to you all the rest of my life,” said the man, as the woman knelt, as was her wont, by the side of the bed. She kissed his hand, thin, wasted, but white and clean now. “No, I to you,” she murmured, as she pressed her lips to his fingers. “Look up a little higher, then,” whis pered Meade with some of the old hu mor. “You mean?” The voiceless movement of his lips told her the story. She raised herself and kissed them lightly. “I haven't dared to ask that before,” said the man, closing his eyes. “I wasn’t strong enough to stand that.” “But you’re going to get strong; you must. I'd like to kiss you forever,” said the woman with pitying tender ness and great joy. “It’s heavenly now, but I shall have to go away again when I am able and—” “We are never going to be parted again.” “I cannot let you marry a discredited man, a failure.” "Don’t you know,” said the woman, rising, “that the whole United States rings with your exploit, that the splen did saving of the dam has caught the fancy of the people as it deserves and you are a hero everywhere and to ev erybody?” “But the International bridge and its failure?” Unbeknown to the two the colonel had stood in the doorway. “We know the truth now, my boy,” said the old man, coming into the room. ”It was your father’s fault, not yours.” It was characteristic of Meade’s tem per and temperament that his white lips closed in a straight line at this. “Where’s Shurtliff?” he asked, after a silent communing with himself. The old man had come in anil out of the room like a ghost during his slow recovery. Colonel Illingworth turned away and summoned the secretary. Rodney and Winters came, too. “Shurtliff.” said Meade faintly but firmly, “tell them again who is re sponsible for the failure of the Inter national.” ,. “Forgive me, Mr. Meade,” said Shurt liff. “but it was your brave old father’s fault.” “You see,” said the colonel. “We knew it all the time,” said Rod ney. “But Mr. Shurtliff bravely gave us the final proof,” said Winters. “Those papers?” said Meade. Shurtliff nodded. “And your father’s own letter that he wrote the papers before his heart broke,” said Rodney; “I’ll read it to you presently.” “Why did you do it. Shurtliff?” “To right a great wrong, sir. I saw that we were mistaken to try to spare 1 I “I Saw You," Helen Whispered. the dead at the expense of the living, to wreck your life nnd the future, and the happiness of Miss Illingworth. God bless her for her kindness to a lonely old man. And, so when you were brought here dead I told them the truth and gave them the papers.” “Gentlemen," said Meade, making a last try, “it is useless to deny it now, but for the sake of my father’s fame you won’t let anyone know?” “Old man,” said Rodney, “it was an the wires an hour afteifv.ini and th« whole United States knows it now, Your father made the mistake; his letter admitted it bravely. The world honors him. it honors you. "Rodney,” said Meade, "I wisli yoE hadn’t done it.” “It was for Miss Illingworth s happi ness and yours that I did it,” said Iiou ney. “And how much that cost me,’ he added, the confession being wrung from him, “no one can ever know. He turned and left the room. Winters followed him full of sympathy and comprehension. “Let iue go out alone, old man," said Rodney. “I’ll be back presently, This is the last fight I’ve got to make." Winters watched him from the steps of the car as he disappeared in the pine trees en route to the mesa to fight it out under the open sky alone. The * others left the room also, last of all ' Shurtliff. “You forgive me, Meade. I’ve been 1 through hell itself,” said the old man, | “in these last six mouths.” “Freely,” said Meade. And Shurtliff went away with a I lighter heart than he had borne for j many a long day. The two lovers were alone again. “You see,” said Helen, “there’s noth I ing can keep us apart now.” > “Nothing, thank God,” whispered the man. j “But I am sorry that it all came out this way. I’m sorry not only because ] of your suffering, but for other reasons 1 —Rodney for one. He—it’s too bad 1 j It was not necessary for you to get I yourself almost killed to win me, I ! mean, for wherever and whenever I found you I was resolved to marry you, | willy-nilly." “And is it true that poor old Rod j had grown to care?” he asked, putting j by the academic discussion. The woman nodded. “I’m very sorry. I can’t help it. We were always together, talking about you,” she said. “And he couldn’t help it, either,” said Meade. “Somehow I believe he was the better man for you to have taken." But he looked at her wistfully and j anxiously as he spoke. “I won’t argue with you,” said the ; girl, bending close to him. “I’ll only j say that I know I have the best man | in all the world, but if he were the ; worst, I would rejoice to have him just : the same.” (THE END.) WHERE PEACE IS ENDURING For More Than a Century Uncle Sam and Canada Have Been Good Friends. Before me lies a letter from Mont real, and the most interesting thing about it Is the cancellation stamp of the Canadian government, “Girard” writes in the Philadelphia Ledger. Upon the wide field of the British flag is printed in body type this re minder: “Help to win tile war. Buy war savings certificates.’" Canada is helping to win the war not only with her dollars but with her men. Half a million have already en 'listed, and that is like Pennsylvania sending an equally large army to the front, the population of Canada being not quite so large as that of our state. Curiously enough, most Americans know much less about the government of Canada than of England, France, Russia or Germany. We forget that July 1 is Canada’s Fourth of July, and that the dominion came into being just fifty years ago, We forget that instead of thirteen colonies, as we had, Canada hud but four provinces. We have had states and territories, but Canada has provinces and dis tricts. There are now nine of the for mer and five of the latter. Ours is a republic, but Canada is a dominion. When Benedict Arnold's little army of about eleven hundred men, which had marched, starved and frozen, through the wilderness of Maine, at tacked Quebec at the outbreak of th« Revolution, Canada’s population was less than that of West Philadelphia. For 102 years the United States and Canada have not had a gun, soldier, warship or fort to gourd the 4,000 mile boundary line which divides them. Proving that when a lamb and a lion lie down together the *heep does not invariably repose inside of the king of beasts. Silos in Argentina. Drought and the ravages of locusts, says Commercial Agent Frank H. von Motz, Iluenos Aires, have so reduced pasturage and the available supplies of fodder in Argentine that the atten tion of planters and stock raisers has been focused on the feeding stuff ques tion and the advantage of silos dis cussed with vigor. "I am told that many silos of re-enforced concrete are being erected by local contractors. The machinery for preparing ensilage and for filling the silos will have to he imported and several American fac tories already have made arrange ments for the sale of this class of ma chinery.” Sable Fish. The United States bureau of fish eries is trying to popularize the sable fish, which is found in large numbers i off the coasts of the Northwestern states and Alaska. It has been almost entirely neglected as a food, although of high quality. The sable fish is also called the black cod. Last fall fishermen caught the sable fish In large quantities. Most of the catches went into cold storage. In order to bring this fish to the attention of dealers, thereby causing a more general consumption, the fish eries bureau has prepared some print ed matter on the subject. Attainments. “How’s your boy Josh getting on at school?” “I dunno,” replied Farmer Corntossel. “But if he is really as smart as his conversation sounds, he’s makln’ some o’ those perfessors hustle to keep up with him.” Careless! “Broken your New Year’s resolu tions yet?" “Yes, every one of them. I wish I’d had the doggoned things insured 1” No Financial Depression, and None Since the War Eegan. A well-known correspondent of an Important Western daily paper r ly made an extended visit to W rn Canada, and in summing up tin r suits, after going thoroughly into ditions there, says there is no finam depression in Canada, , f,as tj been anything of the ,rt since tie war began. Anyone wl i, . warche 1 the barometer of trade. ^,»Pn t],,. bank clearings of the di:\ r cities grow and continue to gr have arrived at the same con Tjlf, trade statistics reveal a Iik The progress that the fa making is highly satisfactory correspondent says: “It is t; have been adaptations to m. • conditions, and taxes have be. vised, and that a very large bun!, added expense in many lines has t - assumed, but it has all been done u thodically, carefully and with full re gard for the resources to be called on. “That this has been done fairly and wisely is proved by the present com fortable financial position. “With the exception of a restricted area in the east, Canada is not an in dustrial country. The greater portion of the Dominion must be cla- .-d as agricultural area, with only an infini tesimal part of it fully developed “Lacking complete development, the agricultural portion of Canal.t has naturally placed its main dep : ,ce upon fewer resources than w« 1 be the case in the States. Even in -ace times, business would be su! t to more frequent and wider fluctimti ns, due to the narrower foundation up- n which it rests. umi_ n_ mm -a-xtuo, VBUBUU I1US llt'HIl T«l come up to the war with efficient rid sufficiency and to maintain and even advance its civilian activities. “Canada’s first element of financial strength lay in its branch bank sys tem. This system has two great ad vantages: it makes the financial re sources of the Dominion fluid so that supplies of capital can run quickly from the high spots to the low spots; also, it places at the command of each individual branch the combined re sources of the whole institution so that there is an efficient safeguard 1 against severe strain at any one point. “Here in Winnipeg, the all-Canada banking houses maintain big, strong branches and, as elsewhere in the Dominion, these held to an attitude of l saneness and solidity that prevented ; even the start of any financial dis turbance. That business generally is now com j ing strong on an even keel is largely due to the absolute refusal of the banks, both branch and independent, to exhibit the slightest signs of ex citement or apprehensiveness. “For all Canada the savings bank figures are astonishing. Beginning with 191.°). they are, for the fiscal year end ing March 31: 1913 .$622,928,963 1914 . 663.6o0.23i I 1915 . 683.761432 1916 . 738,169.212 1917 . 888.765.6! >3 “These figures represent what Cana dians have put away after paying the increased living cost, which is about the same as in the States, all inerc --- es in taxes and imports of all k ■> made necessary by the war and g- - erous subscriptions to war bond is sues. “Prohibition has helped greatly in keeping the money supplies circulat ing in the normal, necessary channels. Tradesmen generally attribute a large part of the good financial condition to the fact that the booze bill has been eliminated. Canada takes law enfor ment with true British seriousness “Financially, as in every other re spect, Canada has developed suflb :i cy. She has done it in spite of initial conditions which would not look pr< - ising in the States and she has done it in a big, strong way. “One of the best things we did.” said one of the leading Winnipeg bankers to me, “was to decide early in the game that we simply would not borrow trouble. “We started In Ignorance of how the war would develop and without know ing exactly what our resources were, and had to find the way. “And yet Canadians are not overbur dened with taxes nor are they com plaining of them. For the commo: people there has been but a slight tu' increase, if any, in a direct way. In direct payments, of course, are mad In the shape of higher prices for living commodities, but the price advance on such items is no heavier than in the States in the same period.”—Advertise ment. A Lean Day. Luncheon Hostess—I d<> hope v- i don’t mind, Mrs. Stoker, but on Wednesdays we have meat only at din ner. 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