Newspaper Page Text
jftnrday > Feb.a8,1914.
Laniplioht Stories tor
winter &atvrcla^ Nidhts
Ihe Harvest Moon
BX JUSTUS MILKB FORMAN
(Copyright, ldl4, by the New.
paper Enterprise Association.)
That famous—l had well-night
•aid infamous—pearl known as
the Harvest Moon, swept like a
scourge through the southern
world a decade past, and y«t I
find that even the name is cur
iously unknown here in the north.
Then quite suddenly the pearl
disappeared for nearly five years.
It Is with its resurrection that we
have here to deal.
Mies Violet Linden came out nf
the postoffice. She nodded to sev
eral acquaintances, for everybody
Is in George street in the morn-1
ing, and presently became aware j
that there was a little knot of i
people before the window of Syd-j
ney's, leading Jeweler and gold-1
Miiitli. The usual window dldplay j
of rings and brooche* and o( pins
set with Australian Btones had!
been covered with a sort of pall!
of black velvet. And upon this
little elevated platform lay a sin
gle unset gem, a huge pearl, pear
shaped, fiery pink in 0010r —the
"ruby In a mist."
She made queries. The pearl
was the property of a traveler
who bad graciously allowed Us
exhibition for a day or two. It
was not for sale, and the owner
did not wish his name known. She
had meant to do several things
that morning, but they had fled
from her mind. She said: "Home"
got into the car and fell back
against the soft cushions with a
little sigh.
Arrived at her brief Journey's
end, she went through the house,
found nobody about savo a parlor
maid, and so passed on into the
garden. Miss Lindon went to a
certain bench which stood in the
■hade, and sat down there.
She closed her eyes, and it was
as if the three years past were
suddenly removed from the pro
cession of time. She heard young
Castle's voice as he sat beside her
on the bench; she heard it drop
to a pleading whisper as he lean
ed near to her.
Three years! And where was
young Castle now? God knew —
if anybody.
It was not very often that Mlrs
Lindon allowed her memories,
feelings, emotions unrestrained
license. But the sight of the Har
vest Moon lying in state upon its
pall of black had shaken her
more than she would have be
lieved to be possible. It brought
him back, the boy who had loved
her, with an illusion of reality
that almost frightened her. She
heard the boy's voice—lt pleaded
with her once more:
"Give me a chance! Let me
nack a city or two for you, build
an empire, win a crown for you.
Isn't there something you'd like
done?"
It seemed to Miss Lindon that,
in some strange fashion, she was
looking on, apart, like a stranger,
Rn unseen third in that place. She
heard the girl say a little wearily,
aa if she were beginning to be a
trifle bored:
"Oh, yes, heaps of things!
Bring me the Harvest Moon, if
you're looking for something to
do."
Young Castle answered:
"I will or die trying. And
when I come back with it, Vio
let?"
"I shall be waiting," said she.
"I'll wait for you, Jerry." Once
more he spoke, unsteadily. He
said:
"Do you love me, Violet?" And
she, still in her odd, tender mood,
said:
"Yes. Oh, yes, indeed, Jerry.
Yes, and I'll wait for you. Never
fear! I'll wait."
She said: "It's a test for you,
Isn't It?"
"If I fall I shan't come back. I
shan't be alive, you see." Then
be kissed her bands and went
away. And that was all of It.
• • •
The three years slipped neatly
and cleanly back into their place
in the procession of time. Miss
Llndon covered her eyes with her
hands. Afterward she gave a lit
tle unsteady laugh, and It turned
it the end, to a laugh of mock
ery.
Had she ever loved him? She
■hook her head slowly.
Poor Castle, with his dreams
and his romantic oaths and his
fond eyes! Where wag he now?
Alive or dead?
The girl sat up with a little
sudden cry. Could It be that
young Castle was the mysterious
traveler who had brought the
Harvest Moon to Sydney? She
dropped back again smiling. Not
he. Success was not in such ns
Castle. He was marked for fail
ure.
She heard her mother's shrill
voice at a window, and rose to go
In.
At the door a sealed note, sent
by hand, was given her. It wag
signed "Ridforth." The girl gave
an exclamation of great surprise.
She had met that mldle- aged
peer a few weeks before on a
cruise among the islands. The
•marquis of Ridforth, making a
leisure tour of the globe, chanced
to Include this little cruise in his
itinerary, and so fell in with Miss
Violet Llndon and her mother,
also with a fat gentleman called
Boaraes, a sheep owner. He left
the ship, however, at Sava in the
Kljii instead of returning to Syd
ney, and Miss Liindon had heard
no more of him.
Bhe thought of bim now, as she
Mt over his note. A little flush
cams to bar cheeka as she re-
SHE COVERED HER EYES, WRITHING.
membered the convenient oppor-|
tunltle* she had offered Lord]
Rldforth for Increasing the
warmth of their acquaintance if
he had chosen no to do. Perhaps
Lord Ridforth was slow to Bee op
portunities. In any case she had
failed there —failed outright.
Hence—victory for the long pa
tient Soames.
Miss Lindon took up the note,
which she had let fall in her lap,
and read It through. A slow
smile came upon her lips and re
mained there. It had an oddly
triumphant look, and so had a
new light that was in her eyes.
Miss I .imliin wrote a little- note
and dispatched It by her chauf
feur. Afterward she went up
stairs to her own room and began
to look over her evening dresses.
Once she said aloud:
"Lady Rldforth! . . . the
Marchioness of Rldforth!" Her
eyes fell upon a photograph of
her fiance which stood on the
dresing table—a fat, genial gen
tleman with diamond shirt but
tons. Miss Lindon snapped her
fingers at him and laughed.
* . .
The waiters cleared away 1 the
dinner things and departed to re
turn no more until summoned.
The orchestra began to play Gou
nod's little "Berceuse." Lord Rid
forth drew a long breath as one
who says, "Now for it!" and rais
ed his eyea.
He said:
"I have a little story to tell
I you. It concerns a man I found
!in FIJI —at Suva, where I left
the Hhlp.
"You may remember," Bald
Lord Rldforth, " that we arrived
In Suva early one morning and
were to have the day there. The
passengers all engaged vehicles
to take them on the usual drive
across the hills and along the
shore. But the late afternoon I
spent in wandering about the lit
tle village. I had once or twice
noticed <i very ragged and un
kempt white man who seemed to
be loafing about with no object.
Well, presently the ship's purser
came past, and this ragged object
accosted the purser and was re
pulsed. I asked him who this
rather piteous tramp might be.
The purser told me that he was a
half-mad Australian reduced to
extremities, doubtless through
drink, that he was without means
and that he was trying to beg a
passage baok to Brisbane or Syd
ney.
"Presently the ragged tramp
came up to me and began to beg
In most piteous terms that I
would help him. I questioned the
man. He was not altogether sane
I think, for he had suffered the
most hideous and unbelievable
things, but I learned that he had
come to the lslajriTs from Aus
tralia —ah, a few years ago,
though he was English born. I
learned the reason for his coming,
and his name. I found that I
knew his people In England and
Ireland —had known them, I
should say—and it fell to me to
tell this poor starved and half
crated beach-comber that through
a succession of deaths he was
now the head of his house and an
Irish peer.
"I need not tell you that I at
once promised to engage a pas
sage for him on our ship. The
poor fellow's gratitude, Miss Lln
don, would, I think, have touched
your heart."
"Yes," she said vaguely. "Yes,
of course, very terrible!" Lord
Rldforth regarded her a moment
In silence. Then he said:
"A very odd thing occurred. I
was leading my protage up the
beach toward one of the trader's
stores. There were trees and
shrubbery at the end of the alley,
and among them stood two of the
ship's passengers, a man and a
woman. The two must have im
agined themselves screened se
curely from observation, for they
were—ah, permitting themselves,
if I may say so, some slight ex
pression of mutual regard. My
friend grasped me by the arm
and when I turned to him he was
trembling very violently like a
man in severe ague. He pointed
to the—ah, lady, among the
I shrubbery, and he aßked me, In a
■ sort of whisper, who she was. I
told him, and he gave a dreadful
cry of angrish and dißiiair. To
be brief, the poer wrech collaps
ed then and there. It was as
if the life had been broken In
tilm. There was no longer any
question of fitting him out and
taking him on board ship, it was
a matter of bed and medical at
tendance and nursing."
The girl stared at Lord Rld
forth with frowning, puzzled eyes.
She still failed to understand, but
she began to be afraid.
"I nursed this wreak of a man
for ten days, ten very terrible
days. I heard horrors which will
haunt me so long as I live as
they haunted my poor friend be
fore he died."
Miss Lindon hid her face with
a little exclamation of horror, but
Lord Ridforth faced her sternly.
"Perhaps you_would like to
know," said he, "why this poor
lad loft civilization and suffered
and died so terribly. It was, so
please you, to find a pearl for a
lady who hud told him she loved
him."
The girl's handß slipped down
from her face as if the strength
had gone suddenly out of them,
and for a long silent instant she
stared across at I-iord Ridforth.
Then she gave a loud shurp cry
that was well-nigh a scream.
"Jerry Castle! It was Jerry
Castle.
"I know," she said in a swift
whisper. "The Harvest Moon! I
saw it this morning in that win
dow. I saw it. Jerry found It—
he really found it —somehow —
And you brought it to inc."
He put one hand into bis waist
coat pocket and, between thumb
and forefinger, withdrew a small
objpet. It was the Harvest moon.
A deep flush swept Miss Lin
don's face,and her hands twitched
;ind moved toward the pearl, but
withdrew themselves, and lay, us
it were, half encircling it.
Abruptly she folded her arms
together, and laid her fnce upon
them, and began to weep with
terrible and rending sobs. Lord
Rldforth watched her without a
tremor.
Hut after a long time the girl
sat up once more, and her face
was still, but grief had ravished
it Incredibly.
"And so," said she, "I have
killed him. I have brought him
to his death." She said:
"No, 1 didn't even love him. If
I had—"
"You told him you loved him,"
said Lord Rldforth. "You —
kissed him, I understand, and
promised to wait."
"Did I?" she asked dully. "Did
I do that? I dare say. It's
rather like me." She gave an ex
ceedingly bitter smile.
"You see," she explained pa
tiently, "I wanted to marry well
—to have position and Influence
and beautiful things—Jewelry—
all that. It hag been a passion
with me. On that cruise, a few
weeks ago, when I met you, I de
liberately did everything in my
power to attract you to me. >
saw myself making a great mar
riage. I'd have given by body
and Bou] for It. You knew, I sup
pose? You saw me at it?"
"I did," said Lord Rldforth.
"Well, I failed at that, and so I
took the Soames man Instead. I
ft him propose the very evening
before we landed at Buva. And
—Jerry saw us — saw me let
Soames kiss—Oh!"
She covered her eyes, writhing.
"So now you know what I am
—have been."
"Have been?" the man de
manded.
"Yes," said she. "Have been.
It may seem a little odd but, you
see, I—love him now. Now that
he is dead I know that I love
him; I wish I could crawl on
hands and knees to where he lies
and tell him so. I wish 1 were
dead and lying with him in his
grave.
"Perhaps, you know," she said
—"perhaps deep down In me, un
der the other things, I've been
loving him all the while. I won
der."
"Love," observed Lord .Rid-
TH3B TAOOMAciTIMEB.
forth, "or something rather Ilka
it has often before been purchas
ed by some such trifle aa lies
there before you."
"Oh," she said, "you mean the
pearl? You mean the Harvest
Moon? Yes, of cone. What
shall we do with It, I wonder?"
'Do with it?" cried he. "Wear
it, of course. Wear It at your
wedding — and ever after. It'll
mako you famous." The tone
wan harsh and Jeering, brutally
bitter, but again she showed no
resentment.
"Oh, there won't be any wed
ding," slii- snid, speaking still in
her colorless, child-like tone —
but the eyes told! The eyes told
it nil! "Did you think I'd go oa
and marry Mr. Soatnes now? Oh,
no, indeed! You see, I love Jerry
I'iu-ili', and Jerry's dead and I
killed him." Thou, after a little
space of vacant staring, she bent
over the Harvest Moon.
"What shall I do with It, Lord
Illd forth?"
"The pearl is yours," said he,
but he began to watch her with a
new expression in his eyes.
"I don't want it," she said,
shuddering. "There was a time
when I would have sold my soul
for it and laughed over the bar
gain. Now—oh, I don't want it.
"I think," she said, "1 know
what to do."
She set a sherry glass before
her and filled It from the little
bottle she found.
Miss Lindon dropped the Har
vest Moon into the glass, and as
It disappeared the man across the
tnble made a sound like an audi
ble groan. Little bubbles,
streams of them, began to mount
to the top of the glass, aa If the
liquid in it were champagne, but
it was not. It was vinegar. He
looked across the table at the girl
who sat there still, and his hard
face softened. He was a grim
man and ruthless, quite merciless
upon occasion, but there wan
something in this deed that
touched a responsive chord in
him. A little woman could not
have done it.
"And now," she said, "will you
—do you think, Lord Ridforth,
that you could tell me more
about —him, any little thing, the
littlest?"
The man regarded her very
keenly and bent Ills head. Then
he told her all that he knew, or
could remember or thought it best
at that time to tell of your Ger
ald Castle and of Castle's awful
sufferings. He must have talked
quite steadily for an hour or
more. "And now we must —I must
go; but first —" Bhe drew to
ward her the little sherry-glass
and looked down upon It. At the
bottom the liquid was clouded
and gray, but at the top it had
begun to clear. Sho rose to her
feet and Lord IMdforth rose with
her.
"I drink," said Miss Lindon,
"to the memory of a brave and
faithful gentleman who suffered
through me—and I drink In the
treasure he won for me. I think
he would have liked it to be so."
She drank what was in the little
glass and afterward was nt,lll,
shuddering slightly, for the acid
must have burned her throat with
cruel strength.
"I will go now," said Miss Un
don, but Lord Ridforth stepped
quickly past her and stood before
the door. His face showed
strange excitement. He said:
"A moment, please!" And she]
halted, looking at him with dull
surpribe.
"I came here," said the man,
"full of bitterness and scorn and
hatred. I came here to face a
woman whom I believed to be ut
terly selfish and heartless—hard
as Iron. I longed to make her
suffer as she had made poor Cas
tle suffer, but I had no hope of it.
I—l want to say that I'm sorry.
I want l<> Bay that I've learned
something. I've been suffering
here tonight as keen and as terri
ble at) any human suffering can
lit>. I've seen absolute despair
and I've seen great unselfishness.
Thank Ood, I can reward it as It
ought to be rewarded. Mlhh Lln
don, part of the story I told you
was a lie, a deliberate lie, agreed
upon between Gerald Castle (only
he has another name now) and
myself.—No! Wait, please! Let
me explain. I did find htm aa
badly off as I told you. He had
suffered all I said and more, but
at the end of my ten days' nurs
ing he did not die; he recovered
sufficiently to be put on board
ship for England."
Lord Hldforth halted there,
frowning anxiously, for the girt i
■tcxraTrtili in her place and •tured
at him with great and trade eras.
It was ai |f he had been ipeaklng
L n J?o^ l«n«uage she did not
"n<%• *He moved a step n««rer,
•a.vflg:
"fvUS you see? Don't you
understand? Castle la not dead.
[He's not dead at all. He's com-
I»k back to you! For Ood's sake
I But Miss I,lii<)on gave a sudden
I little whimpering cry and fell
dowu at his feet. She caught the
I man by the knees and clung there,
I hiding her face and shaking with
I her sobs. At last he knew that
I the understood and he smiled,
I but with smarting eyes, us he
I bent over to raise her.
j (THE END.)
SECYTfiEDRELD
WILL VISIT
TAG 0 UA
William C. Redfield, secretary
of commerce ln President Wll
•on'R cubinet, will arrive in Ta
coma April 1 on a tour of the
west, and will remain hero all
day, investigating local federal
af fall s and Btudylng business con
ditions. Secretary Redfleld Is ac
companied on hln trip by Mrs.
Redfield and a number of under
■■cretariti. Klaborate prepara
tions for his reception, Including
a lunch and banquet at the Com
mercial club, are being made.
HILL LllltS TO
BOOST WAGES
PORTLAND, Feb. 28. —An-
nouncement was made last night
that as a result of negotiations
on since February all the electric
lines operated on the coast by the
J. J. Hill interests will advance
wages to the employes. The raise
affects about \2o men on the elec
tric lines, who hereafter will get
the same pay as those on the
steftiii roads. Conductors who
weio getting from 9105 to $151
will now get from $16. r. to $202.50
a month, and all other trainmen
are raised in proportion. The low
est ihil'l meu ou the lines will get
$2;9U * day.
MRS. BUFFUM
FOUND GUILTY
LITTLE VALLEY, N. V., Feb.
28.- Mrs. Cynthia Ituffuui was
found guilty of poisoning her hui
band and sentenced to be exe
cuted the week of April 15.
Mrs. ltuffum stood pale and
sullen when the verdlot was read,
then kissed her little son good-bye
and was led away.
SAYS JESUS
WILL RETURN
CHICAGO, Feb. 28.—Dr. C. I.
ScoficUl of New York, now 71,
Who for ;!0 years has been closely
studying the Bible, at the Pro
phetic Hible conference today de
clared he was satisfied that the
"Lord .Jesus would come back now
at any moment."
The conference will prepare a
manifesto to the people based on
the early expected second coming
of Christ.
MANY MISTAKES
IN RETURNS OF
INCOME TAX
I>•-. |. 111- specific instructions
sent out by the government, hun
dreds of business and profession
al men In Washington and Alaska
arc making careless, garbled and
unsystematic reports of their in
comes under the new Income tax
law, according to Internal Rev
enue Collector r>. J. Williams.
{The return limit for Income taxes
s March 2, and Williams is re
ceiving great stacks of mall each
day. Many of the tax statements
must be returned to the senders
with instructions that they make
their report conform with the
law.
flflfEHE GUTTER
■■$. T5 SMUGGLERS
SAN DIEGO, Cal., Feb. 28. —
United States revenue cutter had
an exciting chase for a Japa
nese nmuggmg launch loaded
wltli Chinese who were intending
to land and had to shoot away
her mast before she stopped. The
second shot from the cutter
brought the launch up, the Orien
tal* being panlc-strlckeu. The
smuggling launch was too mat for
ihe government boat and would
have escaped but for the good
marksmanshlo of the gunners.
A' ' *T^^^^^F B m M Mr M M mksX/ ""^h -' '*- Mw £ Mf M Mr
Standing of the
Schools In Our
Voting Contest
Including All Votes Cast
February 27th, 1914
I—Bryant 38,090 20—I'ark Avp 7,985
2—Central 35,372 21—Sheridan 7,519
3—Stadium 34,940 22—Holy Rotary 7,501
4—McKmley 31,380 2:)— Longfellow 7,2(52
s—St. Leo's 25,14(5 24—Sherman 3,182
6—Edison 23,187 25—University of P. 5.... 1,892
7—Franklin 21,147 2G—Annie Wright Sera... 1,441
B—Horace Mann 18,495 37—Aquinas Academy . 1.31 i
9—Lowell 18,796 28—Koosevelt 1,220
10—Whitman .14,810 2!)— Point Defiance 1,066
11—Oakland 13,751 30—Hawthorne 835
12—Willard 12,(540 31—Irving 640
18—Rogen 12,597 32—Jefferson 335
14—Logan 11,52*3 33—Academy of Visitation 170
15—Grant 11,521 34—St. Edwards Mall .... 157
16—Lincoln School 10,253 35—Regents Park 149
17— Washington 9,820 36—Emerson 130
18—Lincoln High 8,65(5 37—Manitou 68
19—Fern Hill 8,040 38—Whitworth 58
BECAUSE WHITE MAN'S CANOE HAS
CHASED WHALES FROM SEA A ONCE
MIGHTY INDIAN RACE MUST PERISH
NKAH DAY, Wash., Feb.
28.—Gathered on the beach,
the head men of the Maknh
Indians with a few squaw*
ami a handful of children
leaned against the gftle and
peered toward th« open sea.
A powerful tag towing a bat
tered Imlk, battled the giant
ronihern. An ennlgn upside
down, standing out in the
wind like a board, told of
the lost battle with a hurri
cane outride Cape Flattery.
"White man's ranoe no ran
beat Wind God," volunteered
Pete Norkluiu, a ropper-eol*
ored giant. "\ laugh! Hah,
bob! Indian cam do. Take
■kookum ihiio, go catch
whale. i*t 'em blow. No
care."
Here In a hollow Juit Inside
Cape Flattery off the North Pa
ctric llv« the MakiihM—the whale
hunters.
These Mahaks are the might
iest hunters of all the North
American Indians. Though al
ways few In number, they were
the last to make peace with the
white man. Now, there's only
a handful left. War* with other
Puget Sound trfbes always kept
down their number and In 1861
an epidemic of «raall-poi reduced]
the tribe from 500 to 110 flght-|
PAGE THREE
Makah whale-killer* la their
dug-out canoe beaching a whale.
I In- carcass in buoyed op with
InflaUHl wal-akin bag*; only •
portion of the wlutle la visible
above the water. Another canoe la
"•••■ii in the background ready to
lend awrtiitance. The lower pic
ture hliowi a couple of toe hardy
Makah whale-killer*.
ing men.
Civilisation surrounds the Ma
kalis today, but they live as hare
their forefathers for centuries—
by the strength of their arms and
the mighty heave of their giant
shoulders. Whale killing baa
made them a race of big men.
On Tutoosh Island, close by,
there is a lighthouse, a radio sta
tion and a weather observer's
laboratory. The commerce of
two nations passes by outside, bat
the Makah goes his own way.
"White man too smart," said
Pete. "Make gods mad. Get swift
kick. Indian pretty good no try,
to beat god. Get along bettor." '
This village has been here
longer than the Indiana can
reckon. It has changed bat
little since the first whH»
man's war canoe pat its nose
around the headland. When
tli<- logs and slabs of their
house rot away they an re
placed by new ones, bat if*
the same house.
The women gather weed,
dry small fish and toy Ok*
oil out of the whale Matter,
which they still .tore m bee
tle* made of hair seal atoms.
They also weave Mantes* amt
of iliim kmm. la^av te *a^
