The Western news. [volume], October 26, 1933, Page Page Two, Image 2

About The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current

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TANGLED WIVES
e
By Peggy Shane
Copyright by Pcggy Shane
WNU Servie«
CHAPTER IX
They were in a large room with
twin beds. Rocky turned on a light
over a dressing table.
Don't you see I've
"Now, Rocky,
got to be told everything now?"
"In the morning."
Ajp 1 what's-her-name
Now.
"No.
—a girl who shot her husband at a
■wedding?"
*'
Thp words were out. Had she kineo
, thnt the reason
someone? "ram
Rocky wanted o get her away from
places, because If she were caugni sne
P u w v a
,.„,d b. **£££ stir(K ,
i
She sat down In a
Had she cut off the life of
husband?
at him.
someone—killed her own
"Oh G —d." she begged silently, "say
I couldn't have done
It Isn't true
that!"
As Rocky still did not answer she
She
and threw open the window.
She could breathe—
rose
Inhaled deeply,
but someone else couldn't because she
had
"Rocky, don't you see I've got to
know now, or else go crazy?"
Rocky came and stood beside her.
You're tired.
"Don't feel so, Doris.
If you get a good night's sleep, 111
well maybe I will tell you about It In
the morning."
She turned up a suffering face. "I
won't sleep, Rocky. I've got to know
now. Tell me the truth. Truly, I can
bear It now."
Rocky avoided her eyes,
really not much to tell."
"Anything Is better than this uncer
tainty."
"Perhaps that's true." Rocky gently
removed her hand from his arm. He
his brown fingers through his hair.
"Can't you trust me, Sweet?"
"There's
ran
Sweet! For a moment she felt a
lifting of spirits. Rocky's tone was
tender. But then he used wordrllke
that all the time to all women,
gave a little laugh that she could think
of that now. It was a bitter sardonic
so
She
little laugh.
"You can't shut me out from my
past forever,
on the bed.
was silent,
her, took her hand.
"Please wait—"
Besides—" she sat down
"I'm not a coward." She
Rocky sat down beside
"I—I can't
I'll—
No, no." She got up.
I have a right to know.
•wait
I'll ask Mr. St. Gardens what It's all
I'll tell him everything I re
lie will tell me. He won't
about,
member.
keep me In agony any longer. 1 can't
bear this uncertainty. Anything Is
better."
She controlled herself, looked at him
gravely. "Did Î —Rocky? Did I do—
that awful thing?"
Rocky looked at the carpet miser
ably. "D—n It, how do I know? I
can only guess—like everybody else."
"Then It Isn't a sure thing?"
"Oh, they think It's sure, all right."
"Per
Hls lips drooped unhappily,
haps you—went out of your mind."
"Then It was—I did—that Is—Rocky,
I can't be a murderess. I didn't kill
anyone."
strained, searched hls face for an an
swering faith.
Her eyes, ' haggard ant!
He looked back at
That's the way I feel
She foand It.
her squarely. "
about It."
"I couldn't kill anybody."
"I know you couldn't." He patted
"I've al
her head, against his knee,
ways known that about you."
she turned suddenly
"Then why
to him. "Why Is there such a mysteri
ous silence about me? Why were we
arrested? Why have we been racing
She
like mad away from New York?"
stared at his quiet face for a terri
fied second. "I know! I'll ask the
police. I'll go to the station ! I must
find out."
"Wait—don't you see, Doris? I'm
only trying to help you."
She stared Into hls eyes then. Her
hand dropped suddenly to her lap. "I
did, then. I did kill someone."
Rocky's silence was terrible to her.
She drew close to him. "I didn't,
Rocky. 1 didn't. Tell me I didn't
Why, I couldn't have killed anybody,
Rocky. I know that much about my
self, don't I?" She looked at him
pitifully. He took her hand and held
It tightly.
After a while he said huskily,
'That's the way I feel, Doris. That
you couldn't have."
"Please tell me how It happened."
Still Rocky paused. At last, hls
cheek close to hers, he said slowly,
"It's—been In all the papers. It hap
pened the day I sailed. So 1 didn't
see much about It until 1 got back.
Then—of course your picture has been
everywhere—"
"My picture."
He nodded. "It's you, all right. I
didn't see It until that night you
fainted when you saw It But—you
didn't remember when you came to.
again—''
She brushed' her hair back from her
damp brow. "But Rocky, what did—
what am I supposed to have done?"
Rocky cleared hls throat and tried
to speak In a matter-of-fact way.
"Why, this girl Is supposed to have
shot her husband with her father's
gun and then—" ■
She could not speak,
shrunk away from him, covered her
face with her hands.
"Then she disappeared," went on
He leaned over and tried to
She had
Rocky.
take her hands. "Must I go on?"
Doris raised her face, "But Rocky,
don't you remember I was with my
He was still
husband In the cab?
alive then,
shot him afterward.
Itocky, and I was afraid of him. but
you remember, don't you, how 1 left
him? I didn't shoot him."
Rocky's hand pressed nervously over
"I think you— perhaps
Someone else must have
lie was awful.
his hot brow,
you haven't been well,"
he stam
mered.
the words dropped
"You mean,"
with a bedraggled courage, "you mean
I've lost my mind."
'T mean I think you lost It for a
when—when this hap
short time.
pened."
know? I mean how
" u J . .. . ,,,
have you learned anything about me.
"I-I thought you guessed. The pa
^ ^ Qf 1L „
v
'What do they say?
«ed .. « b. -re
detaching the subject from her. V> hy,
they say this girl Is supposed to have
killed her husband on her wedding
night," he said again.
"Oh!" She clung to his eyes for
"Oh! And you think I
sympathy,
did that?"
Rocky took her hands pityingly, but
"Doris, I didn't—but
she drew away,
your photograph—"
"Why did you want to take me to
Canada?"
"Why did I want to take you? I am
taking you. The first thing tomorrow.
If I can get you to Quebec I can get
boat and—well, I think you'll
you on a
be safe enough In Paris."
"Rut Rocky—"
He looked at her inquiringly. She
wanted to ask, "But why are you do
Somethlng In his
She said
Ing this for me—'
made her unwilling.
eyes
Instead, "I'll have to give myself up.
you know."
He patted her shoulder gently. "I'll
not let you."
She stared up at him earnestly.
"Rocky, If I'm caught are yon guilty,
too? I don't mean guilty—but Isn't
there some terrible penalty for hiding
.3»**
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Any Person of Sense Can See That."
'She Never Murdered Anybody.
someone like me—You're accessory be
fore the fact—or—"
"Or what?"
"Or something.''
"What a mind.
A master's, really."
She was not to be diverted by any
attempt at fooling. In spite of all
Rocky's precautions, she had been
caught once,
again. Rocky would be arrested. Mrs.
Du Val would—
What a legal mind.
She would be caught
There's no use
In your being Involved. Think of your
mother."
"I'm thinking of my mother. One of
the first things she ever taught me
was to stick by my—ray friends."
Her heart contracted. "You're be
ing rather wonderful. I wish I could
do something,to show you how much
I appreciate your—your friendship—"
she walked nervously to the window.
A light was moving far away In the
"A car is coming."
She said huskily :
woods.
"T expect It's Beatrice coming home
It's so late, Doris.
from her party.
You ought to get some sleep."
"What's my real name?"
"Diane. But Fd rather not call you
that?'
"Is It so absolutely sure that I did
this? Do you suppose losing my mem
has transformed me Into an en
tirely different sort of person?"
"1 don't know what to think,
think you ought to get some sleep.
"If I married this man—I must have
loved him, mustn't I?"
Rocky nodded gloomily.
ory
I
"I sup
pose so,
"Say 1 didn't." argued Doris.
I hated him.
man In the cab.
"Say
Even so—I hated the
But I didn't want to
I wouldn't kill him If he
She
"I don't know. It
I feel certain 1
hurt him.
walkerl Into the room right now."
shivered slightly,
seems odd to me.
couldn't kill anybody."
"It Isn't that I don't believe In you.
I believe In you beyond nil
The thing that worries me Is
what you would have to go through—
you were In the hands of the
Dorla
sensed
once
You have been formally In
police.
dieted for murder In the first degree.
You'd even be denied ball,
afraid you'd collapse completely."
"1 won't go to pieces again."
leaned her head on her arms confi
"Now that I know what T
You—I'm
She
dently.
have to fighl—well—rm going to fight
It. Do you really think I'd deliberate
ly let you In for a thing like this—?"
Rocky whirled and looked squarely
His lean features twisted
"Give yourself up, then. I'll
at Doris.
bitterly.
go with you to the police the first
thing In the morning. But don't forget
this. You speak about Implicating me.
I'm already implicated,
that, St. Gardens Is Implicated. I
don't say we can't get him out of It,
but It will be a nice thing to have
happen to him Just as his only daugh
ter Is about to be married. Beatrice Is
marrying the son of a governor
Rhode Island or Delaware—some little
state, but they're getting plenty of
publicity—it's one of the biggest wed
A little murder
More than
dings of the year,
publicity—"
Doris cried out, "Oh I won't spoil
her wedding. I'll go away—I won't do
It—" Her voice stopped in the middle
She was thinking
of the sentence,
that she would have to slip away from
A shiver ran up her
She knew then that most of
Rocky, too.
spine.
her new-found courage sprang from
When she left
Rocky's friendship,
him, what would become of her—po
lice—prison—death ?
Rocky grasped her elbow,
read her thoughts. "You mustn't try
to run away from me. Whatever hap
pens you'll stick with me.
"I can't promise that."
He had
Promise?"
She looked
Ills eyes were full of
up at him.
tragedy. "But don't look like that, 1 m
afraid I haven't the courage to run
away from you."
Relief flooded his face. He smiled.
"Then listen. Mrs. Conscientious. I've
I know you're right- In
got an Idea,
everything you say. You ought not to
You ought to fight. Here's an
run.
other idea. Supposing that you stay
here quietly for a few days. I could
leave you with Beatrice. Then I'll go
back to Morristown, New Jersey, and
get In touch with your real family.
Perhaps we can arrange to get you
out on ball If you do give yourself up."
"I don't know why you want to do
all this for me."
Downstairs a door closed. Rocky
"I'm going to speak
Will you go to bed?"
went to. the door,
to Beatrice now.
Doris shook her head. "No. I'd like
to talk to her, too."
"All right." Rocky opened the door.
"Walt. I'll bring her back up here."
When Rocky had gone, Doris turned
out the light and sat down hy the win
dows. In spite of all thnt he had said
she knew that there was only one
thing for her to do. She must not re
pay hls great friendship by involving
him In her trouble. The time must
come when she would go on alone.
"But not tonight," she whispered.
"Perhaps It's awfully cowardly. But
not tonight."
What was Beatrice saying In answer
to Rocky's disturbing story? Would
she think Rocky was crazy (o have
done so much for a criminal and a
murderess? At the thought of Rocky
the dark outlines of the room dis
solved. A host of magic particles Il
luminated the blackness, assaulted her
senses. She lost herself In a dream.
She heard Rocky at the door, and
sprang up. She turned on the light
as he came In with Beatrice SL Gar
dens.
Beatrice stared fixedly at Doris for
a short moment. Then she turned her
head and looked at Rocky.
"This child 1 You mean—she's Diane
Merrell?"
Rocky nodded.
Beatrice smiled. "Nonsense !" she
said vigorously.
"You think she Isn't?"
"Of course she Isn't She never
murdered anybody. Any person of
can see that." Siie held out her
"Forgive me,
for talking about you as If you were'
deaf, dumb and blind—but It's all so
extraordinary.
sense
hand to Doris cordially.
Anyway, I'm glad
you've come. '
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
7/
0
d
National Topics Interpreted
by William B ruckart
Washington.—Almost no one can
talk about Russia, her relations with
other nations, or her
Recognition form of government
without taking sides,
yet we are hearing
so mhch about Russia these days that
the situation can hardly go unnoticed.
Whether It is right or wrong to recog
nize the Soviet government and estab
lish diplomatic negotiations Is rather
likely to continue a long time ns a con
troversial question, but there are nu
merous facts available that are Impor
tant to know. It Is from that angle
timt I propose to examine the question.
Obviously, economic questions enter
Into International relationships what
ever the problem may be that forms
the focal point at the moment. And
economic questions are to the fore In
the present Russian equation. Out
standing proponents of Russian recog
nition. and a great many others who
merely think they are outstanding, are
urging that the United States has suf
fered Immense loss of trade by the
long delayed recognition. They argue
also that our position of delay has af
forded other powerful Industrial na
tions to get there ahead of us, to gain
a foothold from which It will be diffi
cult to Jar them loose. Because of
recognition being withheld so Long,
they contend, other early birds got the
Important worm.
And another thing about which rec
ognition exponents proclaim their feel
ings Is that our government has been
Inconsistent In Its foreign policy and
has Insulted the people of a great na
tion by withholding dlplomatlçjrela
lions from them. They point to* that
which Is true, that the United States
has recognized de facto, or revolution
of Russia
made, governments throughout the
Central and South' American nations
with the very minimum of delay.
Why, they have asked, has our gov
ernment accorded recognition to gov
ernments In South America where the
Individuals at their heads have been
little, If anything, more than brigands
(racketeers, we call them In our own
cities)?
Much of the propaganda favoring
recognition has had its origin among
Individuals and groups with very defi
nite and discoverable axes to grind.
Some of It
the crow flieWrom Communistic sym
pathizers, If not from actual Commu
nistic agents. They are master propa
gandists. That being their Job, I think
It Is unfair to criticize them, though
I disagree with them and their pur
poses. From many students of the sit
uation, I hear only the demand that
the propagandists come out In the
open instead of seeking their ends and
alms by dirty, sneaking trickery.
Being acquainted with a good deal
of the Soviet program to bring about
recognition of their government by the
United States, I took occasion to look
up the trade records. The figures In
black and white ought to be convincing
to anyone. They fail to show that any
nation which has established diplomat
ic relations with the Soviet under the
dictator, Stalin, has profited from that
recognition.
come as straight as
*
In the case of our own nation, our
commerce with the Soviet was virtual
ly on a level with
As to Trade any of the nations
whose diplomatic
Results
representatives were
accredited to the Soviet. Onr trade
has gone up or has gone Just about
the same ns has the volume of those
nations that have recognized the Rus
regime.
This
experimental
slan
seemed to me to establish thnt rec
ognition had nothing whatever to do
with the question. Further, It seemed
to prove that the other nations had
gained no advantage, no foothold, which
our own exporters had not had. To
me, the figures definitely confirmed the
statement made by the former secre
tary of state. Balnbrldge Colby, that
recognition had no bearing whatsoever
on trade results.
There are some social and humani
tarian objections to recognition, how
ever, that strike me as being worth
while In view of the history of our na
tion and the freedom of religious wor
ship which was guaranteed by being
written Into the Constitution. Presi
dent Roosevelt got very close to the
key in hls speech In New York on Oc
tober 5 when he suggested that no na
tion denying Its citizens the right of
religious worship could subsist long.
He Intimated a belief thnt eventually
such a government would find Itself
alienated from other peoples, and If
that be true, then Mr. Roosevelt pre
dicted the ultimate outcome of the
system of which Stalin Is now the
overlord. So it seems to me that In
stead of Insulting the Soviet by deny
ing. or rather, withholding, recognition,
we Insult our own people when we
take a position that makes equals of
who destroy all evidence and
rights of religious worship.
to reasons for the lack of
of Russian trade: the
those
Now as
development
authorities tell me that Russia
volume of
best
_ j export only a given
the several commodities figuring In In
ternational trade. She cannot Increase
she has had Insufficient
can
that because
equipment with which to produce,
cent bv a very slow process. The nat
to tallow, of course, why
thnt equipment? To this
who will pay?
ex
ural question
not sell her
the reply Is «HnP 1 *-* 1
Russia has not the money and she can
not get the money from outside of her
domain because she has no credit.
1 had the pleasure of witnessing
quite an unusual ceremony In the
treasury the other
day, and It was so
Interesting that I
feel it should be de
scribed In these columns. The treas
ury had decided to exercise Its option
al right to redeem a portion of the
gigantic fourth Liberty loan. It wunt-^
ed to 'Vail for maturity" approximate
ly one-third of the Issue which now
has a total outstanding In excess of
$6,268,000,(XX). To accomplish that
purpose, there were certain require
ments of law to be met, and one of
them was a determination of which of
the bonds would be called by a meth
od of chance.
The great Issue, sold during the
strife and strain of World war days
and on the basis of patriotic appeal,
was not due to mature until twenty
years after Its tssufe, which made It
mature In October. 1038. But when
the government sold the bonds. It re
served the right to call them for re
demption five years before maturity If
it so desired. Money market condi
tions made It seem likely that bonds
bearing a cheaper rate of Interest than
the 4^4 per cent carried by the fourth
Liberty bonds could be sold. If they
could, the government, which means
the taxpayers, could save money on
Interest. Hence. J.he determination to
call a part of the Issue and, hence, the
ceremony,
tlon of the big Issue could be resold
at this time, so only one-third of It was
UntiMual
Ceremony
It was felt that only a por
called.
Knowing of the program, I went In
advance to the lobby of the undersec-,
retary's office. A tall, wooden ped
estal stood In the middle of the room.
Atop It was a glass bowl. At the ap
pointed time, an attache of the treas
urer's office deposited ten envelopes
In the bowl. Each was neatly rolled
and held by a rubber band. Each en
velope carried a formal order directing
the retirement of certain portions of
the Issue and stating that Interest on
those bonds would cease ns of April
16 , 1034, the future date being neces
because the bonds themselves
s ary
stated that a notice of six months had
to be given In case of redemption In
advance of actual maturity.
Presently, the tall, dignified, Dean
Acheson. undersecretary of the treas
There was
ury, entered the room,
much taking of pictures, stills and
movies. Mr. Acheson then reached
Into the bowl and drew therefrom an
envelope. It was opened by Frank
Birgfeld, the treasury's chief clerk.
Mr. Acheson read Its contents aloud. It
said that fourth Liberty bonds Whose
numbers ended In the digits "0 ' O'
"1" or whose letter designations
were either
called for redemption. Thnt meant
thnt anybody holding any of those
bonds either would have to turn them
into the government or lose interest
them after next April.
The new issue will bear only 3 5 /4 per
cent Interest, so that the saving will
be almost $19,000.000 a year, because
the bonds called total $1,875,000,000.
or
or "A" were
"K'
'J,"
on
*
Secretary Hull, of the State depart
ment, apparently has had a stomachful
of unwarranted
German, or rather
Hitler, assaults on
American citizens by
Hitler's storm troopers, and has askec.
pointedly what Is being done about
ending such Indignities. He will be
told, of course, that efforts are being
made to punish the offenders, but I
think It Is no longer a secret that the
Washington government is not at al!
satisfied with the way Hitler and hls
cohorts are treating citizens of other
nations.
signs that the Washington administra
tion Is growing a bit "cold" on Hitler,
Germany
Irritates
Indeed. I believe I can see
himself.
The Incident may or may not pro
duce anything. It is possible that the
of state may take that
secretary
step, as bold as It Is rare, of Issuing a
proclamation that the United States
cannot guarantee the safety of Amer
ican citizens In Germany.
The best
obtain Is that this
judgment I can
stage will not be reached In the con
Because, to make such a
declaration is an action between na
tions as bitter as applying the short
and ugly word to an Individual. On
other hand, attention must be
called to the latent dangers In the sit
uation and one must consider as well
that Hitler Is playing a far-flung game.
To Washington observers, the early
advices In response to Mr. Hull's order
check up on punishment of storm
troopers who have assaulted Amerl
cans have meant nothing but that the
Nazi chieftain was dodging the Issue.
When hls foreign office said "efforts
being made" to catch the offend
troversy.
the
10
were
ers. the corps of students of the sit
uation here Immediately ejaculated
thnt slang, but quite effective, ex
"Oh ! Yeah." For It Is to
pression ;
be remembered that Mr. Hitler has
complete domination of German affairs,
and that under conditions where the
dictatorship is so completely In con
trol. there ought to he little difficulty
Tn pulling an end to the condition of
whlchoMr. Hull complains.
©. Ills. Wpstrrn Nowsp*per Union,
Howe About:
Straight Men
Sound Judgment
Huey Long
By ED HOWE
HEAR many fine compliments for
the people; I have rarely known »
man who did not say;
"I have the finest neighbors In the
world."
There Is a gentler atmosphere where
there are women and children: 1 read
the other day that hawks and song
birds often nest In the same trees.
With mothers and young about, the
hawk behaves himself, and does his
killing elsewhere.
When the Yankees went south In
1861-5, how they acted, no women or
thlldren being along. My son has
been In Texas for years, with his fam
ily, and writes me; "It seems to me
I have the best neighbors In the
world."
I
Men are always rougher when the
women and children are not along.
Note what the men say on returning
home after a day spent downtown
'It seems to me I have the
with men ;
meanest opposition In the world,'
1 often hear people say they Intend
to take up a special course In music,
French, literature, w'hlst, etc., but have
never heard of anyone taking up *
special course In taste, of Judgment
In handling what education or sense
one has. ... I oftener have need
of taste or Judgment, than nearly any
thing else. One does not play whist
often, or often encounter a French
word, but the exercise of sound Judg
ment, taste, will greatly oblige him
every hour of the day.
• • •
Huey Long, a Holy Roller In the
radical religion, says his father was
poor and Ignorant, and kept In thnt
condition by the unscrupulous rich.
. . . Huey has two brothers, mature
men, and respectable and successful
lawyers,
was a
They both say their father
large farmer, a better edu
cated and more Intelligent man than
their brother Huey, and able to make
a better speech than any of hts sons.
The Long brothers also say thnt when
they were children, they had Intelli
gent and helpful neighbors, and were
never ground down by anybody. . . .
It Is easy for anyone to win In poli
tics, If the candidate Is able to tell the
demagogue story gracefully. The dem
agogue story Is thousands of years
old, and always the same; all dishon
est voters ask of a new man foiling
It Is thnt he be eloquent, dramatic, a
good liar, and a rogue like themselves
A new book on sociology by a col
lege professor Is like a new memorial
to Abe Lincoln: It is not actually
needed. Prof. L. P. Jacks, of Oxford,
has Just erected another monument of
408 pages to the Ideal society which
expresses Itself In providing comfort
able homes for the poor, drunkards,
fallen women, orphans, criminals, etc.,
with hope of reclaiming the subjects
of our charity.
if our race ever attains an Ideal so
cial arrangement, there will be no
poor, drunkards, fallen women, or
phans, or criminals. A man's great
est Injustice Is that he Is hampered in
hls efforts to successfully care for him
self by being taxed to care for those
less Industrious. Only of the man an
imal Is It demanded that he carry a
part of another's load.
Say that in the natural march of
man, the natural load of each one Is
forty pounds; to carry forty pounds
all day turns out a considerable task
by evening. But we have increased
the load of every reasonably hearty
to certainly fifty pounds. Some
man
others are carrying only thirty, twenty
ten pounds, or no load at all. In
deed, many worthless persons are be
ing carried in litters from camp to
camp by the stronger.
or
The French woman called George
Sand was a perfect type of the radi
cal. Her morals were atrocious, but,
like others of her type, she had enor
mous visions of saving the world.
"I would be cut to pieces for Ideals
I know will never be realized," she
I grope In darkness and my
wrote.
tired arms grasp nothing save delu
sive shadows, yet If I followed my per
sonal Inclinations I should not pull
my neighbor's child out of the water."
Radicals everywhere have always
been like that: know they cannot ac
complish what they so disturb the
world by attempting, and neglect the
little good hourly at hand.
(Tills Indictment of radicals Is brief
and simply written . that It may be
easily understood. 1 so Intend It; I
purposely avoid making a book of the
Idea.)
*
A man Informs me that, he married
who had lived all her life In
a woman
hotels and boarding houses, and that
she was so little civilized that when
he took her to a house he provided,
she struck matches on the walls of
the rooms.
During the present depression I find
that In my household we occasionally
recover something of value from the
attic. These articles were condemned
and sent there during the higher
standard of living days, but which we
have during the past two or three
been unable to maintain. . . .
years
(I recommend that the newspapers
generally print this; It may prove help
ful to a good many who are thinking
of going on the county, but are de
laying the final plunge. They may find
something In the attic of use in the
emergency, as we did.
© l til, Beil Syndicat*. —WNXJ Servie«.