ONE OF OURS
Hy WII.LA FATHER.
, Famous Nebraska Author.
---—.. . ... ■■ ■ -J
(Continued From Yesterday.)
SYNOr&IS
< Wheeler, son of n Nebraska
rancher. U disappointed in weddeM life
xxith Knid lloy re. religiously cold daugh
ter of Jason Iloyee. Frankfort. N'eh..
miller. After a xoar ami a half together
she goes to China, where her younger
sister, Caroline, a in I sal unary. Is III. Claude
goes in officers’ training eamp and com
missioned a lieutenant. Claude had three
'cars at a small denominational college
in Lincoln, whore he became a friend of
the Krllch family, motherly xxidnxx and
fixe sons. lie has friends in Lrnest
lltttrl and l.enmtrd Dawson, young fnrm
• r- and neighbors of the \\ heeler family.
!*e has an elder brother, llaylhs, in husi
i■ in Frit 11Ufort. his father. Nat. and a
; ‘linger brother. Ralph. While home • n
lea .• from camp lie falls In love \ Ih
< 4Inly s | armer, high school friend «.f his
’•IV. Maude leaves with his company
♦ or Ktirope ami after txxo weeks <»f in
trusive training in Irunee. they Im*xc
or the front. Claude is disimtehed xvltli
.••n important message to division h-ad
ouarti.s. several miles behind the lines,
in u small citx devastated l»y the
tnans. While waiting to see the colonel,
»■ ho has been railed to Paris, lie strolls
about the ruined town, where he picks qji
»• equal lit a uce xxLth f.ouls, a one-armed
I .ncli soldier, and Mile, de Cmirey . lie
oieepts their invitation to dine with
t • nj and becomes deeply Interested in
Mile de Courey. lie and Sergeant llicks
1 ii x e for the front bx night.
KOOK FIVE. CHAPTER XI.
\ftop four days’ rest in the rear,
ill Cattalion went to the front again
iit n -\v country, about 10 kilometers
4 —1 of the trench they had relieved
I * ■ < hw morning Colonel Scott
n- • : for Claude and Gerhardt and.
hjn••ait his maps out on the table.
‘ We are going to clean them out
tl rt in F 6 tonight, and straighten
our line. The thing that bothers us
is Hint little village stuck up the hill,
v.h re the enemy machine guns have
a strong position. I want to ge? them
ou* nt there hefor* the Battalion goes1
O’ er. We can't spare too many men,
and I don't'like to send out more olli*
< rs than 1 cm it help; it won't do to
l "c* the nattndon for the major
operation. Do you think you two
1< \s could manage it. with 100 men?
f|’ point is. you wiliAhave to be nut
an hack before cur artillery begins
a' o’clock.”
I ruler the hill where the village
st i ul. ran a deep ravine, anil from
th:-* ravine a twisting water course
wound up the hillside. I’.y climbing
this gully, the raiders should be able
to fall on the machine gunners from
the rear and surprise them. But first
they must get across the open
stretch, nearly one and a half kilo
meters wide, between tile American
line afid the ravine, without attract,
ing attention. It was raining now,
and they could safely count on a
dark night.
The night came on black enough.
The Company crossed the open
stretch without provoking tire, and
slipped into the ravine to wait for
the hour of attack. A young doctor,
a Pennsylvanian, lately attached to
the staff, had volunteered to come
wi'h them, and h>» arranged a dress
ing station at the bottom ^f the ra
vine, where the stretch* rs were left.
The> were t*> pick up their wounded
on the way back. Anything left In
that area would he exposed to the ar
tillery Are later on.
At 10 o’clock the men began to as
cend the water-course, creeping
through pools and little waterfalls
making a continuous spludgy sound,
like pigs rubbing against tin* sty.
i Maude, with the head of the column,
w aa pulling out of the gully on
the hillside above the village, when
a flare went up, and a volley of fire
broke from the brush on the up-hill
side of the water course; machine
guns, opening on the exposed line
crawling below. M’he Hun had been
warned that the Americans were
crossing the plain and had anticipated
their way of approach. The men In
the gullv were trapped; they could
not retaliate with effect, and the bul
b's from the Maxims bounded on the
roi-ks about them like hail, (lerhardt
ran a'ong the edge of the line, urging
the men not to frill hack anil double
on themselves, but to break out of
the gully on the down hill side and
scatter.
Claude, with his group, started
back. "Go Into the brush and get
’em! Our fellows have got no chance
down there. Grenades while they
last, then bayonets. Full your plugs
and don't hold on too long."
They were already on the run
charging the brush The llun gun
tiers knew the hill like a book, and
when the bombs began bursting
among them, they took to trails and
burrows. "Don't follow them off in.
to the rocks,” Claude kept calling.
"Straight ahead' Clear everything to
the ravine.”
As the German gunners made for
cover, the firing into the gully
stopped, nud tile arrested column
poured up the steep deflile after Ger
hnrdt.
| Claude and his party found them
selves hack at the foot of the hill, at
the edge of the ravine from which
they had started. Heavy tiring on
the hill above told them the rest of
the men had got through. The quick
est way hack to the scene of action
was by the same water-course they
had climbed before. They dropped
into it and started up. Claude, at the
rear, fell the ground rise under him,
and he was swept with a .mountain
of • h and rock down into the
ravine. *
He never knew whether he lost)
ennscUuisnesH or not. It scented *o
him that he went on having continu
ous s • .i• • The firs* was that
of bejpu blown t<* pieces; of swelling
to an cnornious size under intolerable
• >s-|t■ n-1 then bursting. Next he
felt himself shrink and tingle, like a
a frosthit+en body thru wing out.
Then he swelled again, and burst.
This was repeated, he didn't know
how often. He soon realized that he
wa-- lying u* dor a great weight of
earth; his body, not his head. He felt
rain falling on his face. His left
hand was free, and still attached to
his arm. He moved ip cautiously to
his face. Ho seemed to be bleeding
from the nose and ears. Now he be
gan to wonder where he was hurt;
he felt as if he were full of shell
splinters. Kverything was buried
but his head and left shoulder. A
voice was calling from somewhere be*
lp\v. %
"Are any of you fellows alive?"
Claude dosed his eyes against the
rain beating in his face. The same
voice came again, with a note of
patient despair.
"If there’s anybody left alive ;n
this hole, won’t he speak up? I’m
badly hurt myself."
That must be the new doctor;
wasn’t his dressing station some
where down here? Hurt, he said.
Claude tried to move his legs a lit
tle. Perhaps, if he could get out
from under the dirt, he might hold
together long enough to reach the
doctor. He began to wriggle and
pull. The wet earth sucked at him;
it was painful business. He braced
himself with his elbows, but kept
slipping back.
"I’m the only one left, then?” sahl
the mournful voice below.
At last Claude worked himself out
of his burrow, but he whs unable to
stand, livery time he tried to stand
he got faint and seemed to burst
again. Something was the matter
with his right ankle, too—he couldn't
hear his weight on it. Perhaps he
had been too near the shell to he hit;
he had heard the boys tell of such
cases. It had exploded under ills feet
and swept him down into the ravine,
hut hadn’t left any metal in his
body. if it had put anything into
him. It would have put so much that
he wouldn't be sitting here speculat
ing. lie began to crawl down the
slope on all fours. "Is that the Doc
tor? Where are you?"
"Here, on a stretcher. They shelled
us. Who are you? Our fellows got
up. didn't they?"
"1 guess most of them did. What
happened back here?"
"I'm afraid it's my fault,” the voice
said sadly. "I used my Hash light,
and that must have given them the
range. They put three or four shells
right on top of us. The fellows that
got hurt in the gully kept stringing
hack here, and I couldn't do anything
in the dark. I had to have a light
to do anything, i just finished put
ting on a Johnson splint when the
first shell came. 1 guess they're all
done for now.”,
"How many were there?"
"Fourteen. I think. Some of them
weren't much hurt. They'd all lie
alive, if l hadn't come out with you."
"Who were they? But you don't
know our names yet, do you? You
didn't see Lieutenant (Jerhardt
arm mg. i hem?”
I ton'i think so."
"Nor Sergeant Hicks, the fat fel
low?"
"Iton'i think so."
"Where are you hurt?"
"Ah lonih.al. I can't tell anything
without a lieht. t lost my Hash light.
It never or- urred to me that it could
make trouble; It's one I use at homt,
when the babies are sick," the doctor
murmured.
Claude tried to'strike a match, with
no success. “Wait a minute, where's
your helmet?" He took off his metal
hat, held it over the doctor, and man
aged to strike a light undrneath it.
The wounded man had already loos
ened his trousers, and now he pulled
up his bloody shirt. His groin and ab
domen were torn on the left side.
The wound, and the stretcher on
which he lay, supported a mass uf
dark, coagulated blood that looked
like a great cow’s liver.
"I guess I’ve got mine," the Doc
tor murmured as the match went ouf
Claude struck another. "Oh, that
can t be! Our fellows will be hack
pretty soon, and we can do something
for you.”
‘No use, Lieutenant. Do you sup
pose you could strip a coat off one of
those poor fellows? T feel the cold
terribly in my intestines. I had a
bottle of Krenoh brandy, but 1 sup
pose it’s buried."
Claude stripped off ids own coat,
which was warm on the inside, and
began feeling about in the mud for
the brandy. He wondered why the
poor man wasn’t screaming with
pain. The tiring on the hill had
ceased, except f r the occasional click
of a Maxim, off in the rocks some
nS LoweBrothers
Paints - Varnishes
SOLD IN OMAHA BY
C. O. Hurd. Benson North Sjd, Hardwar, Co
Williams-Young Hardware Co..
220 South 24th St. 4112 North 24th St.
• • ,t j «, M J. Simon,
Meyer Hardware Co.,
2915 Leavenworth St 5302 South 30tb St.
Sehoenlng Hardware Co., a
g_706 West Broadway, Council Bluffs, la. s
Illinois central stem Discusses
mmmmmmmam.im - .’«unnr»Mwai> ■‘Jtr
Valuation of the Railroads
Under the terms of the Valuation Act, introduced and sponsored by Senator Rob
ert M. LaFollette of Wisconsin and enacted into law by the Congress in 1913, the
Interstate Commerce Commission has been engaged about nine years in compiling
data to determine the value of the properties owned by the railroads and used in the
service of transportation. The Government and the railroads together have already
expended upon this work about $88,000,000.
Using the information on railway value compiled by its Bureau of Valuation,
the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1920 placed, for rate-making purposes, a ten
tative valuation of $18,900,000,000 upon the railway properties of the country. Al
though this country probably never will go back to the low level of costs existing
prior to the war, this tentative valuation was based upon pre-war costs, which since
then have practically doubled. Subsequent net additions to the railway properties
have been taken by the Commission at cost less depreciation, and the present tentative
valuation is around $20,000,000,000, which is about $2,000,000,000 in excess of the
outstanding railway capitalization
Valuation and capitalization of railway properties are sometimes confused in pub
lic discussions. Some railroads arc over-capitalized; on the other hand many railroads
are capitalized at much less than a fair value of their properties.
Take the Illinois Central system as an example. The aggregate pHr value of our
securities outstanding as of December 81, 1922, was $406,888,141. On that date we
owned about 75,000 freight cars, 1,850 locomotives and 1,700 passenger train cars.
Taking $1,000 as the average value of our freight cars, which is iess than half what
a new car costs today; taking $30,000 as the average value of our locomotives, which
is nearly half what we are paying now, and taking our passenger train cars at $15,000,
less than half the present price (most of our passenger cars arc modern steel cars),
the following is a conservative estimate of the value of our equipment alone:
Freight cars .$ 75,000,000
I ocomotives . . /.. 55,500,000
r train car . . . . 25,500,000
$156,000,000
Subtracting this from our capitalization gives only $250,868,111 as representing
the value of our roadway, with its right-of-way, ballast, ties and rails, bridges, signals,
telephone and telegraph lines and other roadway properties, and even including our
buildings, land, roundhouses, shops, freight and passenger stations and the like.
The value of our terminal properties at Chicago and other important cities runs into
large figures. For example, we own 1,415 acres lying within the city limits of
Chicago, 114 acres bordering on Michigan Avenue and the great Loop district.
The Illinois Central System owns about 6,200 miles of road, but, counting additional
main line trackage, passing tracks and yard tracks, we have about 10,000 miles of
track. It the $250,868,141 referred to above covered the value of track alone
(excluding all other properties used in the service of the public), it would represent
only about $25,087 for each mile of track. It costs around $25,000 a mile to build
ordinary hard-surfaced highways with only light grading and bridge construction in
volved and without including the eost of acquiring the roadway. Will any reasonably
minded person deny that the Illinois Central System's track, with its right-of-way,
ballast, ties, rails, heavy bridges, signals, telephone and telegraph lines and other
appurtenances, is worth more per mile than it costs to build a mile of hard road with
only light grading and bridge construction involved and without including the cost
of acquiring the land?
There are some who are trying to make it appear that the Interstate Commerce
Commission's tentative valuation of the railroads is excessive and a burden upon
those who pay freight and passenger rates. They overlook the fact that out of
every dollar received by the railroads in 1922 about 86 cents went to pay the actual
costs of the service rendered to the public (costs upon which the valuation can have
no conceivable effect), and only about 14 cents remained out of which to pay
interest on indebtedness, rentals of leased lines, dividends and the eost of enlarge
ments and improvements.
Constructive criticism and suggestions are invited,
C. H. MARKHAM,
President, Illinois Central System.
where. Ilis watch said 12:10; could!
anything have miscarried up there?
Suddenly, voices above, a clatter of
boots on the shale. He began shout
ing to them.
"Coming, coming!” He knew' the
voice. Gerhardt and his rifles ran
down Into the ravine with a hunch of
prisoners. Claude called to them to
be careful. "Don’t strike a light!
They've been shelling down here."
"AI1 right are you, Wheeler? Where
are the wounded?"
"There aren’t any' but the Doctor
and me. Get out of here quick. I'm
all right, but 1 can't walk.”
They put Claude on a stretcher and
sent him ahead. Four big Germans
carried him. and thoy were prodded
to a lope by Hicks and Dell Able.
Four of their own men took up the
doctor, and Gerhardt walked beside
him. In spite of their care, the mo
tion started the blood again and tore
away the clots that had formed over
ids wounds. He began to vomit
blood and to strangle. The men put
the stretcher down. Gerhardt lifted
the Doctor's head. “It's over," he
said presently. "Belter make the
best time you can."
They picked up their load again.
"Them ihat are carrying him now
won’t Jolt him,” said Oscar, the pious
Swede.
B Company lost 1!) men in the raid.
Two days later Ihe Company went
off on' a 10-day leave. Claude's
sprained ankle was twice its natural
size, but to avoid being sent to the
hospital he had to march to the rail
head. Sergeant Hicks got him a
giant shoe he found stuck on the
barbed wire entanglement. Claude
and Gerhardt were going off on their
leave together.
(Continued in The Wnrninv llee.)
Roomers Flee Early Fire
(Had in Night Clothing
A dozen persons were driven into
the street ;n Jheir night clothing when
fire w\;s discovered in a rooming
house at 314 North Eighteenth street
frnily yesterday morning. The rooming
house is operated by Minnie Hender
son. ,
Prowlers Take Pennies.
Wearing apparel and jewelry val
ued at foil and $1 in pennies were ob
tained by prowlers Wednesday night
at the home of G. A. ftohrbough, 1X30
South Thirtii th street. R. G. Wolf,
2215 Howard street, reported the
theft of a wrist watch.
Adele Garrison
“My Husband's Love”
The Henson Madge’s "Best Ijlld]
Han" Was Beaten.
Beneath the frothy ripples of little
Mrs. Du-rkee's apparently pliable per
sonality runs a strong current of
steady efficiency and common sense.
These qualities often surprise thoije
who know' her only by tlie charming,
Inconsequential things she says and
does, and who have heard the nick
name, "Her Fluffiness,” which her
son, Alfred affectionately culls her.
That she c.in be quick and resource
ful in an emergency. 1 have long
known. And I also have observed
that the little woman, the soul of
courteous kindliness and hospitality,
can be unrelenting and stubborn in
her dislike of any one who thwarts
the plans of those she loves. She is
the cleverest womkn I know, how
ever, in masking her displeasure
when policy or her inherent fear of
giving pain sways her.
Knowing all this, I was not sur
prised to hear the honeyed accents
with which she addressed Bess Dean.
I smiled to myself at the tiny sting
which she planted In her words for
the girl's benefit. But if I had thought
that the resourceful audacity of the
Bayvlew high school feather would
be balked by Airs. Durjtee’s sugges
tion of a dinner tray for Alfred and
Leila upstairs because of Leila's
turned ankle, I was speedily unde
ceived.
“Of course, Alf will want to eat up
there with Leila.” she caroled, and
she lifted her voice unmistakably—
for the benefit of the two upstairs, I
wai sure. "For that matter, we all
will. I’ll tell you what, Mother
Durkee. We’ll just serve dinner up
stairs. I'm the best little omnibus >n
the business. It will be a scrumpti
ous lark!”
What Madge Resolved.
As I mounted the stairs I made the
grim little resolve that if Leila's in
jury were enough to keep her up
stairs, she should not be disturbed
by Bess Dean's chatter. That little
Mrs. Durkee would do her Machlave
lian best to aid me I was sure. Hiid
it was with a fiercely protective feel
ing that 1 entered Leila s wide-open
door.
Alfred bail deposited her upon flie
chaise longue and was taking off her
hat and coat. Leila looked at me
with a wry little smile as 1 dropped
to my knees beside her and began
removing her shoes.
"1 don't believe this is going to be
bad at all," she said, and 1 realized
that she had heard Bess Dean's auda
cious proposal, and would cat her
dinner downstairs, no matter how
badly her ankle was injured.
Hut when I had taken off her shoe
and stocking, and with fingers train
ed by many household accidents, had
run lightly over the swelling. I agiecd
with Leila's optimistic diagnosis.
“How’s the Foot?"
“I'll telephone for the doctor," Al
fred said, anxiously, as he tossed
Leila’s hat and coat with masculine
ruthlessness into a heap on the bed.
"No, please," Leila implored, and I
seconded her protest.
“I’m sure that Is unnecessary, Al
fred," I said decidedly. "This Isn't a
bad sprain at all. and it won’t even
be painful when I get it bandaged.
Suppose you massage her ankle while
I get hot water and bandages.”
“Can't I get the things?" he asked
with ready courtesy.
“No, I'D be quicker, and as an ex
military man you ought to be a first
aid of the most skillful kind.’
I hurried out of the room as I fin
ished speaking. I did not intend that
he should go roaming around the
house in search of the things I want
ed, with the practical certainty of
encountering Bess Dean. She was
perfectly capable of accompanying
nim back to Leila's room and harrow
ing my nervous little friend's nerves
with her oflb-lousness and protesta
tions of sympathy.
I tested the water from the hot
water tap in the bathroom, found it
steaming hot, and rejoiced that I did
not have to make a trip to the
kitchen. Thanks to Mrs. Durkee's
careful housewifery, I found liniment,
gauze and bandages In the medicine
cabinet without losing any time in
the search. And I lost no time in
returning to Leila's room with a
basin of hot water and all the other
things I needed arranged upon a big
tr.iv which careful Mrs. Durke# al
ways keeps in the bathroom for
emergency use. Then, with Alfred's
aid, 1 bathed, massaged and bound
up th* ankle, finishing just as Besa
Dean appeared at the d >nr of th#
room.
"How's the foot?” nhe i l.ed ca*'j»
ally, and then turned to Alfred: "Aif,
will you help me bring a table up
here?”
This Will Ward Off
And Break Up Colds
Jail * traipoonful *1 Dr. CtMwtH’t
Syrup Peptia ruorn tbc coiftatioa
rPHE two ailments that people
X generally regard os of the least
importance are in reality the cause
of most serious illnesses and of
the greatest proportion of deaths.
- They are const i
put.ion and com
mon colds. Many
doctors now be
lieve that colds,
tonsilitis, a touch
of malaria will
cause constipa
tion, instead of
nHBw constipation ]*■
: i,1(f their cause.
The fact remains
that you seldom have a cold with
out constipation, due to general
congestion. The only way to
avoid colds is to keep up your
vitality. You usually catch cold
in the winter if you are run
down. Therefore in cold weather
exercise more; eat more fatty
foods; drink four to six glasses of
water a day; keep the head cool,
the feet warm, the bowels open.
You are also less liable to colds
if your system is free from the
intestinal poisons of constipation,
so empty the bowels regularly
with a plain vegetable laxative
like Dr. Caldwell’* Syrup Pepsin.
ANY FAMILY MAY TRY IT FREE
T ho usury ft of parents are asking
themselves. "Where ran / find a trust
vorthy Laxative that unyone in the
family cam use v hen constipated.
I urge xou to try Syrun Pepsin.
/ trill gVidly provide a liberal free
sample bottle, sufficient for an adequate
test. Write rue uhere to send it.
Afldress [)r. W'. H. Caldwell. 5/5
Washington St., Mont ice Uo, Illinois.
Do U now!
At the first sign of a cold, ot the
first few warning sneezes, take a
teaspoonful of Syrup Pepsin and
the congestion will be gone in a
few hours. Don't wait until the
cold has a grip on vou. Mr.
Henry Dean, Jr., of Rochester,
V Y., cured a stubborn cold in
just that way, and Mrs. Alice
(.orbbrey of Haskell. Okla., uses
it effectively for all the small ills
of her family, such as const ipation,
biliou-ness, headaehes, dizzine.-*,
and to break up fevers and colds.
Dr. Caldwell’s Syrup Pepsin is
a scientifically-balanced com
pound of Egyptian senna with
pleasanUtastuig aromatics. It is
safe to give to infants, and all
children like it. Before you again
resort to cold remedies contain
ing narcotics try a teaspoonful of
Syrup Pepsin. Any druggist will
supply you, and the cost is less
than a cent a dose.
II
Which Paint Stick
Are You Using?
You can use the yard stick and buy a paint
because it covers so many square yards.
You can use the job stick, that tells you what
the iob will cost, but nothing about how long
thp paint will last.
Or you can use the paint-year-stick that meas
ures a paint’s wearing qualities and tells you
how many years your building will be properly
protected.
As for us. we use the paint-vear-stick. because
we have found out that length of service is the
real measure of paint value. Drop in at any of
our dealers and do a little measuring with this
stick of ours and do a little figuring with that
pencil of yours. Have a notion there’s a sur
prise for you.
0
SEND FOR THIS BOOKLET
Called “The Diary of the House in the Woods." by Kath,
erino and Edward McDowell, who themselves designed
and built the house, then Mellotoned and Mello-Glossed
the walls. N’eptunited the floors and woodwork, and did
various other things, odd and interesting, to make their
home cozy and attractive.
Send 10 cents for it direct to our Dayton, Ohio, Office.
I