The Gate Valley Star (Gate, Okla.), Vol. 16, No. 9, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 19, 1921 Page: 7 of 8
eight pages : ill. ; page 17 x 11 in. Digitized from 35 mm. microfilm.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
imzmww*w
THE VALLEY STAR, GATE, OKLAHOMA
By
I #16
ROBERT J. C.
STEAD
nomesteaaer
Author of "Tht Cow
Copyright, All Rights Reserved
Puncher." Etc.
CHAPTER VIII—Continued.
—13—
"I have tried," said Harris, "and It's
©o use. She's got those notions like
Beulah—quittln' work, and twilights
and sunsets and all that kind o'
thing. There's no use talkin' with her;
/reason don't count for anything. I
gave her a good pocketful o' money,
•and told her to write for more when
she needed it She'll get over her no-
tions pretty soon when she gets among
strangers. Go in and have a talk with
her, boy; there's no use you bein' at
outs with her, too. As for me, I can't
do anything more."
"I suppose you know best," he an-
swered, "but it seems—hang It, it's
against all reason that you two—that
this should happen."
"Of course it is. That's what I said
a minute ago. But reason don't count
Just now. But you have your talk
with her, and give her any help you
can if she wants t' get away at once."
Allan found his mother in her room,
packing a trunk and gently weeping
Into it. He laid his hand upon her,
and presently he found her work-worn
frame resting in his strong arms.
"You're not going to leave us, moth-
er, are you?" he said. "You wouldn't
do that?"
"Not If it could be helped, Allan.
But there Is no help. Your father has
set his heart on more land, and more
work, and giving up this home, and I
might as well go first as last More
and more he is giving his love to work
instead of to his family. Perhaps when
I am away for a while he'll come to
himself. That's our only hope."
The boy stood helpless in this con-
fliction. He knew something cf the
depth of the nature of his parents, and
he knew that beneath an undemonstra-
tive exterior they cherished in secret a
love proportionate to the strength of
their character. But the long course
down which they had walked together
seemed now to be separating, through
neither will nor power of their own; it
was as though straight parallel lines
suddenly turned apart, and neither
lost its straightness in the turning.
So be comforted his mother with
such words as he could. Loyalty to
his father forbade laying any of the
blame on those shoulders, and to
blame his mother was unthinkable; so
with unconscious wisdom he spoke rfot
of blame at all.
"Of course, while we are away, why
shouldn't you have a visit?" he said.
"Here you have been chained down to
this farm ever since I can remember,
and before. And then, when I get set-
tled on my own homestead, you'll come
rum
"You're Not Going to Leave Us, Moth-
er, Are You?"
and keep house for me, won't you?"
"You're sure you'll want me?" she
asked, greatly comforted by his mood
"Perhaps you'll be getting your Own
housekeeper, too."
"Not while I can have you," he an-
swered. "You'll promise, won't you?
Nothing that has happened, or can
happen, will keep you from making
my home yours, will it? And when
Dad gets settled again, and gets all
these worries off his mind, then
things'll be different, and you'll come,
even if he Is there?"
"Yes, I'll come, even if he is there,
If you ask me," she promised.
Harris did not come back that night.
A light rain came up, and he acceDted
the excuse to sleep at Biles'. The
truth was, he feared for his resolution
If it should be attacked by both his
wife and son. Surrender now would
be mere weakness, and weakness was
disgrace, and yet he feared for himself
if put to the test again. So he stayed
at Biles', and the two farmers spent
much of the night over their plans. It
had been decided that they were to
leave within the next couple of days,
but Harris broke the news that his
wife was going on a visit, and that ar-
rangements would have to be made for
the care of the farm.
Biles took the suggestion of a few
days' delay with poor grace.
"Yes, an' while you're chasing up an'
down fer a housekeeper the Yankees
get all the homesteads. They're com-
in' In right now by the train load,
grabbin' up everythin' in sight We'll
monkey round here till the summer's
over, an' then go out an' get a sand
farm, or something like. Couldn't your
wife do her visitln' no other time?"
I'll tell you, Biles," said Harris,
who had no desire to pursue a topic
which might lead him Into deep water,
"you go ahead out and get the lay of
the land, and I'll follow you within a
week. I'll do that, for sure, and I'll
stand part of your expenses for going
ahead, seein' you will be kind o' repre-
sent^' me."
The last touch was a stroke of diplo-
macy. The suggestion that Harris
should pay part of his expenses swept
away Biles' bad humor, and he agreed
to go on the date originally planned,
and get what he. called "a bede on the
easy money," while Harris completed
his arrangements at home.
He was to get "a bede on the easy
money" in a manner which Harris lit-
tle suspected.
• •••••«
When Harris returned home the
next forenoon he found that Mary had
already left for Plainville. He sat
down and tried to think, but the house
was very quiet, and the silence op-
pressed him. * * * He looked at his
watch, and concluded he had still
time to reach Plainville before the
train would leave. But that would
mean surrender, and surrender meant
weakness.
CHAPTER IX.
A Whiff of New Atmosphere.
Biles found the journey westward a
tiresome affair. It was his first long
rail journey In over 20 years, but his
thoughts were on the cost of travel
rather than on the wonderful strides
which had been made In its comfort
and convenience.
As fate would have it, Biles selected
as the base of his homestead opera-
tions the very foothill town to which
Beulah Harris had come a few weeks
before. He sought out the cheapest
hotel, and having thrown his few be-
longings on the bed, betook himself to
the bar room, which seemed the chief
center of activity, not only of the ho-
tel Itself, but of the little town. Men
were lined three deep against the ca-
pacious bar, shouting, swearing, and
singing, and spending their money with
an abandon not to be found in mil-
lionaires.
Biles debated with himself whether
the occasion justified the expenditure
of 10 cents for a drink when a hand
was placed on his shoulder, and a
voice said, "Have one with me, neigh-
bor." He found himself addressed by
a man of about his own age, shorter
and somewhat lighter of frame and
with a growing hint of corpulence.
The stranger wore a good pepper-and-
salt suit, and the stone on his finger
danced like a real diamond.
"Don't mind if I do, since y' mention
It," said Biles, with an attempted smile
which his bad eye rendered futile. One
of the bartenders put something in
his glass which cut all the way down,
but Biles speedily forgot it in a more
exciting Incident. The man in the
pepper-and-salt suit had laid half a
dollar on the bar, and no change came
back. Biles congratulated himself on
his own narrow escape.
"You'll be looking for land?" In-
quired the stranger, when both were
breathing easily again,
"Well, maybe I am, and maybe I
ain't," said Biles guardedly. He had
heard something of the ways of confi-
dence men and was determined not to
be taken for an easy mark.
"A man of some Judgment I see,'
said his new acquaintance, quite un
abashed. "Well, I don't blame you for
keeping your own counsel. The rush
of people and money into the West has
brought all kinds of floaters In Its
train. Why"—with growing confidence
—"the other night "
What happened the other night re-
mained untold, for at that uomeat
came a clattering of horse's hoofs on
the wooden walk at the door, and a
moment later a gayly arrayed cowboy
rode right Into the room, his horse
prancing and bodying from side to side
to clear the crowd away, then facing
up to the bar as though it were his
manger. Biles expected trouble, and
was surprised when the feat evoked a
cheer from the bystanders.
"That's Horseback George," said the
man in the pepper-and-salt "They
say he sleeps on his horse. Bides
right into a bar as a matter of course,
and maybe shoots a few bottles off the
shelves as a demonstration before he
goes out. But he nlways settles, and
nobody minds his little peculiarities."
Horseback George treated himself
twice, proffering each glass to his
horse before touching it himself, and
stroking with one hand the animal's
ears as he raised the liquor to his lips.
Then he threw a bill at the bar tender
"Well, If It Ain't Gardiner!" He Ex-
claimed.
and, with a wild whoop, slapped the
horse's legs with his hat, and dashed
at a gallop out of the bar room and
away down the trail.
Biles betook himself to his room. He
had just got Into bed when a knock
came at the door.
"Who's there?" he demanded.
"Gen'l'man to see Mr. Biles," said
the porter.
"Well, shoot 'Im in. The door ain't
locked," said Biles. In considerable
wonderment as to who his visitor
might be.
The door opened, and a well-dressed
man of average height with carefully
combed hair and clean-shaven face,
save for a light mustache, stood re-
vealed In the uncertain glow of the
match with which Biles was endeavor-
ing to find his lamp. His visitor was a
man of twenty-eight or thirty years,
with clear eyes and well-cut face, and
yet with some subtle quality In his ex-
pression that implied that under his
fair exterior lay a deep cunning, and
that he was a man not to be trusted
In matters where his own interests
might be at stake.
"Hello, Hiram," he said quietly.
"You didn't fig-re on seeing me here,
did you?"
At first glance Riles did not recog-
nize him, and he raised the oil lamp
to turn the light better ou the strang-
er's face.
"Well. If It ain't Gardiner!" he ex-
claimed. "Where in Saui Hill did you
come from?"
"It's a big country, Hirnin," he said
with a touch of bitterness, "but not
big enough for a fellow to lose himself
In." He sat down on the side of the
bed and lit a cigar, tendering another
to Riles, and the two men puffed in
silence for a few minutes.
"Yes, I've hit a lot of trail since I
saw you last," ho continued, "and
when you're In the shadow of the
Rockies you're a long piece from Plain-
ville. How's the old burg? Dead as
ever?"
"About the same," snld Riles. "You
don't seem t' be wastln' no love on It"
"Nothing to speak of," said the oth-
er, slowly flicking the ash from his
cigar. "Nothing to speak of. You
know I got a raw deal there, Hiram,
and It ain't likely I'd get enthusiastic
over it."
"Well, when a fellow gets up against
the law an' has t' clear out," said
Riles, with great candor, "that's his fu-
neral. As for me, I ain't got nothln*
agen Plainville. You made a little
money there yourself, didn't you?"
The younger man leaned back and
slowly puffed circles of fragrant smoke
at the ceiling, while Riles surveyed
him from the head of the bed. lie had
been a business man in Plainville, but
had become involved In a theft case,
and had managed to escape from the
town simply because a fellow man
whom he had wronged did not trouble
to press the matter against him.
Gardiner showed no disposition to
reopen the conversation about Plain-
ville, so at last Riles asked, "How
d'you know I was here?"
"Saw your scrawl on the register,"
he said, "and I've seen It too often on
wheat tickets to forget It. Thought
I'd look you up. Maybe can be of
some service to you here. What are
you chasing—more land?"
"Well, I won't say that, exactly, but
I kind o' thought I'd come out and look
over some of this stuff the gover'-
ment's givm away, before the furrl-
ners gets it all. Guess If there's any-
thin' free goin' us men that pioneered
one province should get It on the
next."
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
HER IDEA OF LUXURIES
Middle-Aged Negress Tells Mistress
How She Will Spend $600 Insurance
Left by Her Husband.
A middle-aged negro woman of
Richmond was left some $000 insur-
ance by her husband, and shortly aft-
erward, when asked by the lady for
whom she had cooked for many years
what she Intended to do with her
money, declared that she meant to
spend It on luxuries.
"Yo' see, Miss Mary, Ah done wuck
hard all mah life, an' ain't had nuffln'
but des needcessities, an' Ah's gwine
blow in dis money," she explained.
"How are you going to spend it,
Mandy?"
"Ah Is gwine buy me a phoneygraf,
an' two silk dresses, an' a dlmont
ring, an' marry Jack Thompson,"
Mandy declared happily.
"Marry Jack Thompson? VThy,
Mandy, he Is nothing but a worthless
loafer, a dressed-up dude who tries to
be a 'sport!' "
"Yassum, Ah knows dat," Mandy
agreed, "but, lack Ah said, Ah wants
some luxuries. My ole man was a
good nigger, but he sho' wns sorry to
look at. Now, dis Jack Thompson, he
gwine be jest plumb ornamental, set-
tin' round de house all day."
The Proof.
"Is he a sound sleeper?"
"Sound, is he? You can hear hiia
all over the house."
LONG LOST USE OF WINGS
Ground Parrot. Found Only In New
Zealand, Interesting to the Stu-
dent of Evolution.
The wingless birds of New Zealand
are particularly Interesting to the na-
ture student as illustrating the process
of evolution. Nowhere but In their
native land could these birds have
survived, and, therefore, nowhere else
would they have become wingless.
New Zealand Is the only region on
earth where tnere are no destructive
animals. Being unable to fly, the birds
could not, of course, have escaped
from any swift hunting animals such
as abound In all other lands. It Is in-
teresting to note that the kakapo, or
ground parrot, once had the use of Its
wings, but being a grass seed feeder
and finding no enemies on the ground
gradually ceased to fly and eventually
lost the use of Its wings entirely,
"though it can run very swiftly. These
birds are so gentle and so unconscious
of having any enemies that If a per-
son sits down near one and keeps qui-
et It will presently tuck Its head un-
der Its wing and go to sleep. The
kakapo breeds but oace la two years,
and the mother bird carefully hides
the nest from her mate, though why
she does so Is unknown, the male
showing no desire to harm the eggs or
young birds. In this Infrequent breed-
ing is demonstrated nature's thought-
fulness—having no destructive ene-
mies the kakapo would multiply to too
great numbers if the breeding season
occurred as frequently as with other
birds.
New England Colloquialism.
A colloquialism In frequent use, not
only In rural communities, but In New
England generally, Is "at that." It Is
employed to express merit where none
might be presumed, as "he's lazy, but
a decent chap 'at that'" "He's up and
coming" Is an expression familiar to
every New Englander, and Its meaning
is synonymous with the rustic's, "head
up and tail over the dasher."
BETTER
ROADS
SAFETY FIRST FOR CHILDREN
Many Requirements Furnish Variety
of Topics for Essays and Oral
Discussion.
(Prepared by the United States Depart-
ment of Agriculture)
The many requirements for safety
will furnish a variety of topics for
school children's essays and oral dis-
cussion. The dangers irf railroad
crossings at grade, the economic jus-
tiflcation for abolishing them, the im-
portance of an unobstructed view up
and down the track as a vehicle
approaches, and the disadvantage of
sharp turns, etc., are suggestive
subjects. Similarly there might also
be mentioned the questions raised by
street Intersections and turns. In
every town there are many crossings
where the autoist's view Is unnec-
essarily limited by fences, shrubbery,
or buildings; or where sharp curves
with limited visibility Invite serious
accidents. Guideposts, markers, and
other signs for the most efficient guid-
ance of traffic through thickly settled
communities also are part of the
bigger and more Inclusive topics of
the economic importance of safety and
guidance—the actual money value of
human life and of accident prevention.
Another question, in solving which
the engineer and economist will need
(he help of enlightened public opinion
(and this enlightenment should start
In the public schools), Is that of the
relation of the public highways to
railroads and canals. The advantage
of long hauls by rail and short hauls
by motor truck; feeding into main
terminal points by radiating systems
of highways; a division of the trans-
portation burden by parallel systems
of water, rail, and road transporta-
tion, are some of the subdivisions of
this general bending.
This listing of topics Is not intended
to be complete or exact, but merely
suggestive. Those which refer to con-
struction could best be utilized when
construction work Is in progress In
the vicinity of a school. Many of the
other topics may be studied from
maps, of which the students might be
required to make tracings or free-hand
sketches showing the particular
features for which emphasis Is desired,
or regarding which the exercise Is
being written. State highway depart-
ments often feel the need of a better
popular understanding of the problems
of road construction, and their officials
would doubtless co-operate in a hearty
manner. Looking ahead, it Is easy to
see an actual shortage of men qualified
to carry on the work of highway de-
velopment, so rapid is the growth of
the good-roads movement. Highway ln-
• v*r:
Small Boy's Method of Crossing a
Stream.
struction In high schools offers oppor-
tunity to state highway departments
to develop a body of future citizens
equipped with a better understanding
of the need for roads, and the problems
likely to be met in building them, and,
at the same time, to stimulate interest
in the profession of highway engineer-
ing.
State departments and county engi-
neers can help teachers (1) by assign-
ing members of their staffs to deliver
occasional lectures, simple In text and
preferably illustrated with lantern
slides; (2) by furnishing photographs
of highways and construction work for
classroom or reference use; (3) by
assisting teachers In the explanation
of work In progress which can be In-
spected by classes of students. Many
states also Issue bulletins or reports
which are valuable for reference.
Lloyd's Is World Famous.
Lloyd's Is probably one of the most
famous British institutions and is
known throughout the world. It Is as-
sociated In the minds of most people
with the Insurance of ships and car-
goes and with occasional freak pol-
icies, which are In the form almost at
1 bets or wagera.
Determine Road Cost.
Some of the things which determine
the cost of road construction are:
Cost of right of way; cost of clear-
ing and grubbing; amount and kind
of material to be excavated and
amount of filling to be done; amount
of ditching for surface drainage and
tiling for sub-drainage; number and
size of stream crossings necessitating
culverts or bridges; cost of securing
and placing material.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Stevens, Arthur J. The Gate Valley Star (Gate, Okla.), Vol. 16, No. 9, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 19, 1921, newspaper, May 19, 1921; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc168360/m1/7/: accessed May 9, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.