The Elbert County tribune. [volume], May 09, 1907, Image 2

About The Elbert County tribune. [volume] (Elbert, Elbert County, Colo.) 18??-1920

Image provided by: History Colorado

                
SpgFßiAi
THE HOUSE OF
A THOUSAND
CANDLES
By MEREDITH NICHOLSON
Aathor of "THE MAIN CHANCEZELDA
DAMEIO.N." Elc.
CopyrltfM IMK> toy Uobbo-Uerrlll Co.
CHAPTER Vl.—Continued.
I turned to stand face to face with
the girl in the red tam-o'-shanter.
“I beg your pardon,” I said, stepping
away from the canoe.
She did not wear the covert coat of
Hhe morning, but a red knit jacket, but
toned tight about her. She was young
with every emphasis of youth. A pair
of dark blue eyes examined me with
good-humored curiosity. She was on
good terms with the sun —I rejoiced in
the brown of her cheeks, so eloquent
of companionship with the outdoor
world—a certificate indeed of the fa
vor of Heaven. Show me, in October,
a girl with a face of tan. whose hands
have plied a paddle or driven a golf
ball or cast a fly beneath the blue
arches of summer, and I will suffer
her scorn in joy. She may vote me
'dull and refute my wisest word with
laughter, for hers are the privileges of
the sisterhood of Diana; and that soft
bronze, those daring fugitive freckles
beneath her eyes, link her to times
when Pan whistled upon his reed and
all the days were long.
Her rubber-soled outing shoes had
made possible her Bilent approach, and
she enjoyed. I was sure, my discom
fiture at being taken unawares.
I had snatched off my cap and stood
waiting beside the canoe, feeling, I
must admit, a trifle guilty at being
caught in the unwarrantable inspection
of another person's property—particu
larly a person so wholly pleasing to
the eye.
"I believe —I believe that is my pad
dle,” she said, a little timidly 1 thought,
and yet with definiteness.
I looked down and found to my an
noyance that I held her paddle in my
hand, —was in fact leaning upon it
with a cool air of proprietorship.
"Again, I beg your pardon,” I said.
"I hadn’t expected—”
She eyed me calmly, with the stare
•of the child that arrives at a drawing
iroom door hv mistake and scrutinizes
the guests without awe. I didn’t know
what 1 had expected or had not expect
-ed, and she manifested no intention of
helping me to explain. Her short skirt
suggested 15 or 16 —not more—and
such being the case there was no rea
son why I should not be master of the
situation. As I fumbled my pipe the
ihot coals of tobacco mimed my hand
and I cast the thing from me.
She laughed a little, then caught
dierself and gravely watched the pipe
bound from the dock into the water.
"Too bad!” Bhe said, her eyes upon
it; "but if you hurry you may got it
beforo it floats away.”
"Thank you for the suggestion,” I
said. But I did not relish the Idea of
'kneeling on the dock to fish for a pipe
’before a strange school girl who was,
1 felt sure, anxious to laugh at me.
She took a step toward the line by
which her boat was fastened.
"Allow me.”
"If you think you can, —safely,’” she
said; and the laughter that lurked in
her eyes annoyed me.
“Tho feminine knot Is designed for
■the confusion of man,” 1 observed,
■twitching vainly at the rope, which
was tied securely in unfamiliar loops.
She was singularly unresponsive.
The thought that she was probably
laughing at my clumsiness did not
make my fingers more nimble.
"The nautical instructor at St.
Agatha’s is undoubtedly a woman.
This knot must come in the post-grad
iuate course. But my gallantry is
«qual, I trußt, to your patience.”
The maid in the red tam-o’-shanter
•continued silent. The w’et rope was
•obdurate, the knot more and more
hopeless, and my efforts to make light
of the situation awakened no response
in the girl. I tugged away at the rope,
attacking its tangle on various the
ories.
“A case for surgery. I’m afraid. A
truly gordian knot, but I haven't my
knife.”
"Oh. but you wouldn’t!” Bhe ex
claimed. "I think I can manage.”
She bent down —I was aware that
the sleeve of her jacket brushed my
shoulder —seized an end that I had
Ignored, gave it a sharp tug with a
slim, brown hand and pulled the knot
■free.
“There!” Bhe exclaimed with a little
laugh; "I might have saved you all
the bother.”
“How dull of me! But I didn't have
the combination,’’ I said, steadying the
canoe carefully to mitigate the ignom
iny of my failure.
She scorned the hand I extended,
but embarked with light, confident
step and took tho puddle. Jt was grow
ing late. The shadows in the wood
were deepening; a chill crept over the
•water, and, beyond the tower of the
chapel, the sky was blight with the
glory of sunset.
With a few skillful strokes she
brought her little craft beside my
pipe, which she deftly caught on the
paddle blade and tossed to the wharf.
“Perhaps you can pipe a tune upon
It,*’ she said, dipping the paddle.
"You put mo under great obliga
tions,” I declared. "Are all the girls
at St. Agatha’s as amiable?”
"I. shouldn't say so! I’m a great ex
ception,—and—l really shouldn't be
talking to you at all! It’s against the
rules! And we don't encourage smok
ing.”
”The chaplain doesn’t smoke, 1 sup
pose.”
"Not in chapel; I believe It Isn't
done! And we rarely see him any
where else."
She had Idled with the paddle so
far, but now she lifted her eyes and
drew back the blade for a long stroke.
“But In the wood, —this morning—
by the wall!’*
I hate myself to this day for having
so startled her. The poised blade
dropped Into the water with a splash;
she brought the canoe a trifle nearer
to the wharf with an almost Imper
ceptible stroke, and turned toward me
with wonder and dismay In her eyes.
"So you are an eavesdropper and de
tective, are you? I beg that you will
give your master my compliments! I
really owe you an apology; I thought
you were a gentleman,” she exclaimed
with withering emphasis, and dipped
her blade deep in flight.
I called, stammering incoherently,
after her, but her light argosy skimmed
the water steadily. The paddle rose
and fell with trained precision, making
scarcely a ripple as she stole softly
away toward the fairy towers of the
sunset. I stood looking after her,
goaded with self-contempt. A glory of
purple and scarlet and gold filled the
west. Suddenly tho wind moaned In
the wood behind the line of cottages,
swept over me and rippled the surface
of the lake. I watched Its flight until
It caught her canoe and I marked the
flimsy craft’s quick response, as the
shaken waters l»ore her alert figure up
ward on the swell, her blade still main
taining Its regular dip, until she dis
appeared behind a little peninsula that
“I Beg Your Pardon,” I Said, Stepping Away from the Canoe.”
mnde a harbor near the school
grounds.
The red tam-o'-shanter seemed at
last to merge in the red sky, and I
tarred cheerlessly to my canoe.
CHAPTER VII.
The Man on the Wall.
I was so thoroughly angry with ray
seif that after Idling along the shores
for an hour I lost my way in the dark
wood when I landed and brought up at
the rear door used by Bales for com
munication with the villagers who sup
plied us with provender. I readily
found my way to the kitchen and to a
flight of stairs beyond, which connect
ed the first and second floors. I stum
bled up the unfamiliar way in the dark,
with, I fear, a malediction upon my
grandfather, who had built and left In
complete a house so utterly prepos
terous. My unpardonable fling at the
girl still rankled; and I was cold from
the quick descent of the night chill on
tlie water and anxious to get into some
comfortable clothes. Once on the sec
ond floor 1 was sure of tho location of
my room, and I was feeling my way
•toward it over the rough floor when I
heard low voices rising apparently
from my sitting-room.
it was pitch dark in the hall. I
stopped short and listened. The door
of my room was open and a faint light
flashed once into the hall and disap
peared. I heard now a sound as of a
hammer tapping upon wood-work.
Then It ceased, and a voice whis
pered :
"He’ll kill me If he finds me here.
I’ll try ugain to-morrow. I swear to
God I’ll help you, but uo more now—”
Then the sound of a scuffle and
again the tapping of the hammer.
After several minutes more of this
there was a whispered dialogue which
1 could not hear.
Whatever was occurring two or
three points struck me on the instant.
One of the conspirators was an unwill
ing party to an act as yet unknown;
second, they had been unsuccessful
and must wait for another oj>portu
nlty; and third, the business, whatever
it was, was clearly of some importance
to myself, as my own in
liny grandfather's strange house had
been chosen for the investigation.
Clearly I was not prepared to close
the incident, but tho Idea of frighten
ing my Visitors appealed to my sense
of humor. I tiptoed to the front stair
way, ran lightly down, found the front
door, and, from the inside, opened and
slammed it. I heard instantly a hur
ried scamper above, and the heavy fall
of one who had stumbled In the dark.
1 grinned with real pleasure at the
sound of tho mishap, hastened to the
great library, which was as dark as a
well, and. opening one of the long win
dows, stepped out on the balcony. At
once from the rear of the house came
the sound of a stealthy step, which
increased to a run at the ravine bridge.
I listened to the flight of the fugitive
through the wood until the sounds died
away toward the lake.
Then, turning to the library window,
I saw Bates, with a candle held above
his head, peering about.
"Hello, Bates," I called cheerfully.
"I just got home and stepped out to
see if the moon had risen. I don't
believe I know where to look for it In
this country.”
He began lighting the tapers with
his usual deliberation.
"It’s a trifle early, I think, sir.
About eight o'clock, I should say, was
the hour, Mr. Glenarm.”
There was, of course, no doubt wh?t
ever that Bates had been one of the
men I heard in my room. It was
wholly possible that he had been com
pelled to assist in some lawless act
against his will; but why, if he had
been forced into aiding a criminal,
should he not invoke my own aid to
protect himself? I kicked the logs
m the fireplace Impatiently at my un
certainty. The man slowly lighted
the many candles In the great apart
ment. He was certainly a deep one
and his case grew more puzzling as I
studied it in relation to the rifle shot
of the night before, his collision
Morgan in the wood, which I had wit.
nessed; and now the house itself had
been invaded by some one with his
connivance. The rifle shot might have
been innocent enough; but taken lu
connection with these other mutters
it could hardly be brushed aside.
Bates lighted me to the stairway,
and said ns I passed him:
"There's a baked ham for dinner. I
should call it extra delicate, Mr. Glen
arm. I suppose there’s no chang:« in
the dinner hour, sir?”
"Certainly not,” I said with asperity;
for I am not a person to inaugurate a
dinner hour one day and change it the
next. Bates wished to make conver
sation—the sure sign of a guilty eon
science in a servant, —and 1 was not
disposed to encourage him.
1 closed the doors carefully and be
gan a thorough examination of foth
the sitting-room and the little ?>ed
chamber. I was quite sure that, my
own effects ould not have attracted
the two men who had taken advantage
of my absence to visit my quarters.
Bates had helped unpack my trunk
and undoubtedly knew every item of
my simple wardrobe. I threw open
the doors of my three closets and
found them all in the good order
established by Bates. Ho had ci rrled
m> trunks and bags to a store-vcom,
so that everything I owned must 1-ave
passed under his eye. My money
even, the reinnunt of my fortune •hat
I had drawn from the New York bank,
I had placed c arelessly enough In the
drawer of a chiffonier otherwise tilled
with collars, it took but a moment to
satisfy myself that this liad not neon
touched. And, to be sure, a hammer
was not necessary to open a drawer
that had. from its appearance, never
been locked. The game was deeper
than 1 hud imagined; 1 had scratched
the crust without result, and my wits
were busy with speculations ar. I
brushed my clothes, pausing frequent
ly to examine the furniture, even the
bricks on the hearth.
’ T " BB CONTINUED.)
French is the language that oArrier
b«at over the telephone.
MAIL ORDER EVIL
ITS RISE IS NOT THE RESULT OF
LEGITIMATE DEMAND.
DUE ENTIRELY TO GREED
And It Feeds Upon the Prosperity
of the Country Towns— A
Menace to the
Nation.
(Copyrighted. 1906, by Alfred C. Clark.)
As the years go by we are more
than ever brought face to face with
the vital question of trading at home.
During the past decade the habit of
buying goods abroad has grown to
such proportions that the country
merchant may well feel alarmed at
the probable outcome unless something
is done to forestall the great calamity
which will surely result therefrom.
Trade conditions 25 years ago were
satisfactory. At that time catalogue
houses were entirely unknown and
country merchants were "monarchs of
all they surveyed,” so to speak, in the
lines represented, and the people were
prosperous and happy. Perhaps not
so much because they generally had
money enough to meet their wants,
but because of the contentment that
prevailed throughout the country at
that time. The farmers raised good
crops, generally, and received good
prices for what they had to aell. They
sold their surplus stuff to the local
merchant and bought what they
wanted; and this was the height of
Are you, Mr. Resident of This Community, feeding to the mail order
hog the dollars of this community? Are you pouring the money that should
stay in the home town into the trough from which the gluttonous hogs of
the city feed? If so you are doing not only the town, but yourself, an irre
parable injury, and one that you should stop at once.
their ambition, hence the contentment
that prevailed.
But in after years, when cities
grew and trade expanded, the mer
chants of these cities not being con
tent with conditions of trade, devised
plans by which they might reach out
for more business. Advertising in the
newspapers being a cheap way of
putting the merits of their goods be
fore the people, this plan appealed to
them and it was adopted. At first they
operated on a small scale; then, as
the merchant saw the opportunity for
making it pay, he added to his adver
tising fund. And so it has continued
until to-day millions of dollars are
annually sent to mall order houses by
the people of the United States.
The best and most effective way to
throttle the catalogue house has been
a question uppermost In the minds of
country merchants for several years
past; some advocating one plan and
some another. There are several plans
which might be presented to induce
the farmer to buy at home. In the
first place his pride might be appealed
to. There are very few farmers who
own their own farms but that would
be interested In building up his own
locality. He realizes the fact that if
his farm is to b% valuable it must be
farmed in tho most scientific manner
and all buildings, fences, etc., must bo
kept up in the best possible shape,
and above all the farm must be lo
cated not too far from somo good
town, for we all know that farm land
brings a much better price when near
to some good town or village. It is
not hard to get the farmer to realize
this, for if he ever sold any farm land
or tried to sell any, he knows this to
be a fact. Well, then, after he has
realized this fact, the thing for him
to do Is to patronize his homo mer
chants and business men. so they may
be able to build and maintain a good
town.
Public schools are much better In
tho towns than In the country for the
reason that where the population is
most dense, there Is more taxable
property to the amount of territory
covered, hence there is more money
collected for school purposes, and as
a result more and better teachers are
employed. All this Is of the highest
Importance to tho farmer, as most
farmers who are of any Importance in
their profession are interested in giv
ing their boys and girls a good educa
tion. And right here is where the good
town proposition comes to him with
great force. He knows he can send
his children to the village school at a
great deal less expense than to send
them away to college, and that in
most cases better results are ob
tained.
If the farmer seriously desires all
these good things he must of necessi
ty help to build them. Let him under
stand that he Is one of the main
spokes In tho great wheel of com
merce In his vicinity and that he can
ill-afford to send abroad to purchase
even the smallest Item of merchan
dise, though it may seem to him that
he Is saving a few cents by doing so.
It seems that it could be easily
pointed out to him that If there was
no town near him and he had to drive
20 or 30 miles to take his produce to
market and haul his groceries the
same distance home, he could easily
see that his land would greatly depre
ciate in value and tho disadvantages
he would encounter on every hand
would be very disastrous to his time
and he would gladly spend his money
at home to divert this calamity.
One of the most potent levers with
which to control trade in country lo
calities Is the libera! use of printers’
Ink, coupled with Intelligence in ad
vertising the wares of the merchant.
The catalogue houses employ the best
talent obtainable to write their adver
tisements and spend large sums of
money in this way. Besides advertis
ing judiciously they advertise on a
large scale and consequently get the
business. The old saying that "You
must fight the devil with fire” will ap
ply in this case. The home merchant
must advertise. He must do more than
say: “Come to Smith’s to trade,
cheapest place on earth.” He must
describe his merchandise as he would
in private conversation over the coun
ter to a customer, and then quote the
price. This will nearly always act as
a clincher and will at least put him
on a standing with the catalogue
house. In fact It will give him an ad
vantage over the catalogue house, for
in almost every case he can sell the
same grade of merchandise cheaper
than the catalogue house can sell it.
This is not mere theory but a state
ment of fact, for the reason that the
country merchant’s business Is oper
ated at a very much less expense than
that of the mail order merchant.
There are a thousand and one Items
of expense which the city merchant
has to meet that are entirely unknown
to tho country merchant.
The time is rapidly approaching
when people who patronize mail order
houses will be looked upon as “soon
ers” by the solid and influential citi
zens of all commonweals and will
suffer ostracism at their hands.
Cities and towns are built by com
bined efforts of the residents thereof;
not by foreign capital. So too are our
churches and schoolhouses built. It
may be true that In many Instances
eastern capital has been employed to
make improvements in the west, but
always with good round Interest to
the lender of the money. No one ever
heard of a case where an eastern man
or firm contributed to western enter
prise for the fun of the thing. Nor
did you ever hear of a case where any
mail order or catalogue house ever
contributed to any church building
fund. Nor yet did they ever build or
help to build any of our schoolhouses.
You never heard of a case of this kind
and you never will. All these eastern
sharks care for is your dollar, and
you know it, and when they have got
ten that they have no more use for
you. Then why should you patronize
them? You can go to your home mer
chant any day In the year and If you
ere sh6rt of change, he will extend
you credit. If you are sick and un
able to work the home merchant will
see that your family is provisioned
until you get on your feet again. He
will do all of this and at the same
time furnish the same grade of goods
nt the same or even at a less price.
Will the catalogue merchant do tbit?
J. P. BUL.’ „
NICKNAMES STICK
TO BALL PLAYERS
SOME ARE FUNNY WHILE OTH
ERS INDICATE STYLE OF
THE OWNER.
ORIGIN OF MANY IS UNKNOWN
Odd “Handles” That Have Been Given
to Various American League Stars
—Lajoie of Cleveland Is Larry, King
or Nap—“ Wild Bill” Donovan One
of the Steadiest Players.
Few If any of the ball players in
the American league are without one
or more nicknames. In fact, the public
know many of the playerß better by
their nicknames than they do their
Christian name. Lajoie is spoken of
more often as Larry, King or Nap than
by the original, its just the same with
all the other stars.
Some of the nicknames handed the
players are very funny and it’s hard
to discover their origin. There are at
present quite a few doctors and den
tists in the league, who write prescrip
tions and pull teeth during the off sea
son. Of course ail such players go by
the name of "Doc.” There are also
a few players who travel under the
name of "Doc” who know nothing
about medicine or dentistry.
During his early years in the big
league, "Bill’’ Donovan, of Detroit, had
a world of speed and poor control.
He was dubbed “Wild Bill” and the
name still hangs with him, although
he Is one of the steadiest players in
the league.
The fans are always Interested in
nicknames and here are a few of the
funny ones handed the stars on the
different American league teams:
Chicago—Sullivan, "Sully;” Altrock,
Nick; Hart, "Hub;” White, "Doc;”
Donahue, “Jiggs;” Isbell, "Izzy;” Tan
nehill. “Tanny;” Rohe, "Whitey;”
Dougherty, Pat; O’Neil, ‘Tip;” Walsh,
"Big Ed;” Towne* “.lay;" Hahn, Ed
die; C'omlskey, "Commy.”
Detroit —Schmidt, "Smltty;” Payne,
“Doc;” Donovan, "Wild Bill:” Mullin,
George; Eubanks, "Honest John;”
Donahue, "Red;” Slever, Ed; Schaef
fer, "Germany;” O’Leary, Charlie;
Coughlin, "Bill;” Mclntyre, "Matty;”
Cobb, "Ty;” Crawford, Sam.
St. Louis —Spencer, Hack; O'Connor,
"Rowdy Jack;” Buelow, Fritz: Glade,
Fred; Pelty, ’Barney;” Powell, Jack;
Howell, ”’Arry;” Jones, Tom* Niles,
Harry; Wallace, Rhody and Bobby;
Delehantv, Jim; Yeager, Joe; Stone,
“Silent George;” Hemphill, "Hemp;”
Pickering. Ollie and Pick.
New York McGuire, "Old Jim;”
Kleinew, Jack; Orth, A1 and "Curve
less Wonder;” Hogg, "Peggy;" Ches
bro, Jack: Clarkson, Walter; Chase,
Hal; Williams, Jlminmy; Elberfred,
"Kid;” Moriarity, George; Conroy,
"Connie;” Keeler, “Wee Willie;" Dele
hanty, Frank; La Porte, Frank.
Cleveland —Lajoie, Larry, Nap, King
and many others; Clark, "Nig;” Be
mis, Harry; Joss, Addie and the “Hu
man Slat;” Rhoades, "Dusty;” Hess,
Otto; Bernhard, Bill; Liebhardt, Cu
pid, Glen and iron Man; Berger,
Heine; Ehman, Buff; Turner, Terry;
Stovall. "Brother George;” Bradley,
Bill; Flick, Elmer and “Gene;” Bay,
"Deerfoot;” Congalton, “Conny;” Bir
mingham. "Dode;” O’Brien, Peter;
Wakefield, "Wake.”
Philadelphia Powers, "Doc;”
Shreckengost, "Shreck;” Waddell,
"Rube;” Vickers, "Doc;” Plank, Ed
die; Bender, “Chief;” Davis. Harry;
Murphy, Danny; Knight, Jack; Cross,
Monte; Hartsell, "Topsy;” Seybold,
"Socks.”
Boston—Criger, Lew; Armbuster,
"Buster;” Young, "Cy;” Dineen, "Big
Bill,” Winters, George; Harris. "Fat;”
Grimshaw, "Grim;” Ferris, "Hobe;”
Parent, Freddy; Collins, Jim; Hoey,
"Ho*s;” Freeman, "Buck.”
Washington—Hughes, “Long Tom;”
Patten, Case; Falkenberg, “Falk;”
Stahl, Jake; Schafly, Larry and
"ShAf:” Cross, "Lave;” Jones, Char
ley; Hickman, “Cheerful Hick;" An
derson, "Long John;” Kitson, "Kit;”
AltiZer, "Tize.”
GOSSIP OF THE PLAYERS
A recruit named Baxter is trying
hard to displace Jake Beckley at St.
Louis. He is said to be a batter as
well as a Baxter.
Liebhardt is making good with
Cleveland, and will be a valuable ad
dition to Lajoie's pitching staff.
Charlie O’Leary bats eighth for De
troit, He hasn’t shown much in the
biffing line this season.
The huskiest catching staff in the
league, when it comes to helping out
in the batting line. Is that of Cleve
land: Bemlß, Clark and Wakefield.
All three are powerful hitters.
Jacobsen is pitching much prettier
ball than at any time last season, and
yet has lost every game he has
pitched.
Catcher Jim McGuire has just fin
ished the building of a flour mill up
near Alblou, Mich. He says every
thing is ready to start and that he will
liavo bread whether the Highlanders
win the pennant or not.
The New York Americans have
never played a game with a National
league club.
The Cincinnati club has released
Pitcher Jack Kennedy to Louisville.
John O’Connor, pitching recruit with
the Philadelphia Athletics, Is suffering
from congestion of the brain. In an
attempt to bunt the ball was fouled
and -hit him in the head.
CjY Young has wagered* he will win
over half his games this year, and that
he will win a larger per cent, of his
games than the club will win.