BUM i J lillliiliinu
6
The Commoner.
Vol. a, No. 17.
WHETHER COnnON OR NOT.
The "Merger" at Four Corners.
No ono know just when or how the
hostilities botwoon the "North aiders"
and the "South Sidors" had begun.
But through long years it had been
accopted as a fact that thoro should
bo no social or buslnoss communi
cations between tho people who lived
on tho south side of tho main street
of Four Cornors and thoso who lived
on the nor.th Bido of tho aforesaid
street.
Incidentally it might bo remarked
that Four COrnors boasted of but ono
street, which ran oast and west, which
was due to tho fact that it "was im
possible to run anything other than a
brldlo path north and south becauso
of the steep hills.
Tho feud smoldered as a rule, each
side remaining unto, itself, but ovory
four years it burst Into flame because
of tho postofllco. So intense was the
fooling of hostility that a South Sider
would, as a rulo, rofuso to subscribe for
a paper or correspond with friends
when" a North Sidor hold tho postofllco,
bocauso that would necessitate cross
ing the stroot and doing business with
an onomy. It was tho same thing
when a South Sidor hold tho ifllce.
Naturally this resulted in a ratner
nieagor postqfllco business.
Whon Postmaster Jod Bilkins' term
was about to expire the regular quad
llennial fight blazed up. Jed tookno
hand in it, savo JoloqjiUhiii aid ana as-
! mMMfciilftilT" '
ffslance to Lorn Hugglns, tho son of
Squiro Huggins, and Lorn was asking
for the ofllce on tho ground that he
had boon a volunteer in tho Spanish
American war and had come homo
with a limp, duo to 'a Mauser ball that
caught him In the hip while he wns
scampering up a hill near Santiago and
saying unprintable things about the
Spaniards.
"It stands t' reason," said Post
master Bilkins, speaking oracularly,
"that Lem air entitled t' th' honah.
He has lit undah th' flag, is able t'
read an write, an' is a No'th Sidah.
Th' last qualification, I may say, is
tii- cinefest."
"I hear Sack Rickott's daughtor,
Sally, is goln' t' try f got tho oillco,"
romarked Putnam Shattuck, called
"Put" for short.
"Yep; heard that whon I druv ovah
t' Blossvillo with Majah Slocumb
t'other day. Th' majah said he heard
about it at Blossvillo while he was
a-waitin' f'r his mail."
"Well, if a South Sidah Is t' git It
I guess Sally Ricketts is all right,"
said Poto Honsel. "I've seen her
acrost th' street several times an'
she's a powahful likely lookin' gyrl."
"Look a hyar, Pete," angrily ox
claimed Put; "I ain't ust t' hearin' no
No'th Sidahs braggln' about South
Sidahs, an' I'm hyah f say that I ain't
goln' t'. stand f'r it."
"Wall," drawled Poto, "I guess I'm
purtv able f'r f say what I please an'
make it stick."
. "If you mean that f'r mo, Pete, guess
we'd better adjourn behind th' black
smith shop an settle it f'r fair."
But nothing came of tho threatening
Incldont. For more years than Pete
and Put cared to recall they had
been threatening to fight and settle tho
dispute as to which was tho better
man, but so far they had not como to
blows. This fact was deeply regretted,
for the reason that a 'considerable
luantity of dog-log -tobacco and moun
tain dew had been wagered on tho re
sult whon thoy did como together.
As the days woro on Lem Hugglns
was busy. Ho secured tho signatures
of all the North SIdors on his petition,
and then rodo far and wide to tho
north to socure tho signatures of those
who sympathized with his sido of the
street.
"It'll bo mighty funny if I can't
beat a gyrl f'r th' placo,' said Lem to a
friend 'whom'ho met up in tho hills.
But Sally Rickett was also busy.
Sally had been down to Sharpsburg
to school, and her horizon of informa
tion was much larger than the average
of her friends on tho South Side. Sho
wasted but little time In securing sig
natures to her petition. Being wise
Jn her day and gonoration Sally made
uso of her .knowledge of politics and
besolged tho congressman from ner
district. Sho knew that often a pair of
bright eyes and a rosebud mouth car
ried more weight than a huge ana un
gainly petition.,
Tho light waxed warmer and warmer
as the summer grew, and as September
drew near tho time set for Postmaster
Bilkins to stop down and out physi
cal, encounters grew frequent. Squiro
Wheeler's son met Judge Pollock's son
down on tho creek) where both were
fishing, and as thov lived on onDOsIte
sides of the street fishing was sadly
neglected for a time and 'a fight en
gaged in that resulted in sending the
participants homo in sadly deranged
COndlTinnR.. Pllla lnrl fo n Vinnor) iTni
jmant across the street between the
1 Rfiulrn fintl t.hi li'idtrn nnfl nnnfhAr nhv.'
slcal encounter might have resulted''
had not both squire and" judge been
too proud to step across the dividing
line.
When Put Shattuck remarked that
"One was afeerd an' t'other dassn't,"
tho judge withdrew into his judicial
dignity and ignored the remark.
By strange and perverse fatel kern
and Sally had decided upon the.' same
date for their final appeal to Con
gressman Selkins. Thus it was, tfiat
they 'met' on the depot platform at
Blossvillo, where they boarded the
train for: tho distant city of Hawus
ville. Having never been formally in
troduced, and being staunch partisans
as well as rivals for .a, postofllce ap
pointment, they did not greet one an-
otner. .Lem took a seat in the forward
part of the coach and Sally snuggled
up in a seat near the rear.
Something hurt inside of Lem's
breast. He knew what' it was, but
dared not admit it. As he sat by the
window and watched the landscape
slipping past he recalled how often
he had allowed his eyes to follow
Sally's trim figure as she tripped down
the other side of the street; also, how
often ho had wished silently, of
course that Sally had been born and
bred on his side of the thoroughfare.
He managed to withstand tho tempta
tion to look back at her, but it re
quired tho exercise of all his will
power.
With Sally the situation Was not
vastly different. She had announced
her candidacy before Lem had entered
tho race, and when she thought of his
limp and romembered the first time siie
saw him In his brown uniform, when
he was limping upon crutches down
tho other sido of the street, her heart
failed her. She would have with
drawn had she not been impelled by
pride and patriotism to remain. Sho
kept her eyelids demurely down, but
not so far that she could -riot-catch oc
casional -glimpses of a mass of dark
brown hair and the curve of a sturdy
nock sot upon square shoulders.
"Guess he don't deserve my sym
pathy," whispered Sally to herself.
"He might make way for a lady."
But even this did not quite satisfy
her mind.
"Guess I'll stop thinking about it
and read," said Sally to herself, and
suiting the action, to tho words topic
a novel from her handbag and settled
back against the cushions.
She read for a tlmo'and then fell
into a doze. How long she slept she
never knew, for tho awakening was
awful. With a crash and a roar the
coach left the rails and toppled over
into tho ditch. When the first shock
was over, the groans and cries of tho
injured filling the air, Sally, waiting
only until she discovered that she was
uninjured save for a few severe
bruises, set bravely at work to give as
sistance to the less fortunate. The
uninjured passengers, assisted by tho
train crew, worked with a will and
tho wounded made as comfortable as
possible on the green grass of the
right-of-way.
"Guess we've got 'em all out," said
tho conductor.
But Sally, looking around. the circle
of faces and then glancing at tho
wounded lying upon the grass, missed
one face and form.
"No, there's another Lem Mr.
Huggins where is he?"
"Who's he?" queried the conductor.
"He was a passenger on the train,"
replied Sally, starting towards the
wreck.
They soon found him; insensible and
pinned down by a beam that cruelly
pressed across his breast. It was
Sally who wiped the blood from his
face. It was Sally who held the cup of
water to his lips, and it was Sally's
face that met his gaze when he opened
his eyes and groaned with. pain.
"What's the matter?" asked Lem
in a feeble voice.
, "Only at wreck and you "were hurt a"
little," said Sally.., "Now remain
quiet, Mr. Huggins. You mustn't
talk."
"Why?"
"Because because well, because 1
say so."
"All right," whispered Lem, sinking
back into unconsciousness.
A month later Postmaster Bilkins
handed Lem a huge envelope bearing
the postofllce department seal and
stamp.
"Guess we got 'em licked again,"
chuckled Bilkins.
"Guess so," said Lem, but without
much enthusiasm.
"Ain't appearin' t' feel very gay
about yer victory, Lem."
"Huh?"
"I said yer don't seem t' me"
But to the postmaster's wonderment
l.em walked away and actually crossed
tho street. Postmastff Bilkins 'could
.hardly believe his eyes. Lem Hug
gins, North Sider and prospective post
master, actually crossing over to" the
South Side. Bilkins shuddered and
crouched as if expecting the very
heavens to fall.
He had not yet recovered from his
amazement when Put Shattuck rushed
op and shouted:
"Heard th' news?"
"No; what is it?" ? '
"Lem Hugglns is goln' t'.marry Sally
"No!"
"I don't believe it"
"Fact jus' th' same. Sally nussed
him when he got smashed up In that
wreck, an' then drew out o' th' race so
Lem could git th' postofllce."
it's a mighty strange purceedin' "
said Postmaster Bilkins.
"No, It's puffeckly nateral. It's git
tin' common these days."
"How's that?"
' "Why; it's -only--another. 0'. them
mergers weve been readin' so much--about
in the city-papers lately." '
Aiding the Beef Trust.
Unfortunately for future security,
congress seems to be at least a passive
sympathizer and supporter of the beet
trust. Tho prohibitive tariff, under
the Dingley act, alone made It possi
ble for the meat packers to combine
and force tho price of meats beyond
the point justified by the condition of
tho cattle market. The government
reaped no benefit from the tariff, be
cause it was so high that meats could
not be imported from Mexico and
other foreign countries and sold at a
profit. Thus the trust felt that it
had the people at its mercy, and at
tempted to take advantage, of its pow
er. Congress has displayed no inten
tion of lending a helping hand. It
could, if it would, effectively crush
the power of the beef trust, and hurt
no other interest, by removing tho
tariff on imported meats. Individual
members have introduced bills with
this purpose In view, but these excel
lent measures have all been referred
to committee, where, it is frankly de
clared, they will be allowed to slumber
to the end of the session. This is tno
most effective means that- congress
can employ to assist the beef trust out
of the difficulties in which It now
finds itself, and to enable it to recover
to some extent from the enormous
financial losses it has sustained.
Philadelphia Public Ledger (rep.);
On the Defensive.
It is unfortunate for the country,
and still more so for the republican
party, that the debate in the senate on
the Philippine bill has taken a par
tisan turn. The democrats have suc
ceeded in putting tho administration
on the defensive, and the republicans
must defend it before the world. In
such an enterprise the, government
should not need to be defended; its
political antagonists, should have no
chance to accuse it of any misconduct.
Philadelphia Public Ledger (rep.).
AN APllIL BllACEIl
Grnpe-Nuts Food Gives Spring in the
Spring
Teachers require nourishing food
more than the average person, for
their work is nerve destroying, and
unless the food taken will surely re
build the lost gray matter nervous'
prostration will set in.
A lady teacher writes, "For the ben
efit of my fellow teachers and all
brain workers who expend daily an
amount of nerve energy I want to
tell just what I know personally about
Grape-Nuts Breakfast Food.
When I was teaching in a boarding
school at P in '98 one of the day
teachers ate Grape-Nuts regularly for
breakfast and supper, and appeared so
well and strong in all her work. .
Miss R used to beg me to join
her and give the food a trial, but for
some reason I never would try it un
til the spring of the present year.
Then one day in April when I was
very much in need of something brac
ing and was on the point of buying tho
usual tonic, she prevailed upon mo
to begin using Grape-Nuts. So we ato
Grape-Nuts together from tnen until
June.
Previous to that, every spring I had
been compelled to take bottle after
bottle of tonics and then go home
much run down, but this year June
found me well and strong after a most
trying month of work, with never a
thought about tonics other than the
nourishment received, from Grape
Nuts. Naturally I believe heartily in
the merits of the food.
Since leaving that boarding school,
4vieanril th,at. nearly every teacher in
the school- from thevprJncipai . down
uses -Grape-Nuts,", .Name- -given by
Postum Co.,- Battle -Creek Mich.-