Cherokee Weekly Messenger. (Cherokee, Okla.), Vol. 16, No. 15, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 6, 1913 Page: 2 of 8
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THE WEEKLY MESSENGER CHEROKEE OKLAHOMA
wm i
CHAPTER I
When tt was all over Mr Sam came
out to the spring-house to say good-by
to me before he and Mrs Sam left
I hated to see him go after all we
had been through together and I sup-
pose he saw It In my face for he
came over close and Btood looking
down at me and smiling "You
saved us Minnie" he said "and I
needn’t tell you we’re grateful but do
you know what I think?’’ he asked
pointing his long forefinger at me
think you’ve enjoyed It Aren when you
were suffering most Rea-haired wom-
en are born to intrigue aa the sparks
fly upward"
"Enjoyed It!” 1 snapped "I’m an
old woman before my time Mr Sam
What with trailing back and forward
through the snow to the shelter-house
and not getting to bed at all some
nights and my heart going by fits and
starts as you may say and half the
time my spinal marrow fairly chilled
not to mention putting on my over-
shoes every morning from force of
habit and having to take them off
again I’m about all In"
"It’s been the making of you Min
file" he aald eyeing me with his
bands In his pockets "Look at your
cheeks 1 Look at your disposition 1
don’t believe you’d etab anybody In
the back now!"
(Which was a Joke of course
never stabbed anybody In the back)
le opened the door and a blast of
February wind rattled the window-
frames Mr Sam threw out hie chest
Tinder his sweater and waved me an-
other good-by
"Well I’m off Minnie" he said
"Take care of yourself and don’t sit
too tight on the Job learn to rise a
bit In the saddle”
“Good-by Mr Sam!" I called put-
ting down Miss Patty’s dolly and fol
lowing him to the door "good-by bet
ter have eomething before you start to
keep you warm"
He turned at the corner of the path
and grinned back at me
"All right" he called "Ill go down
to the bar and get a lettuce sand-
wich!" Then he was gone and happy as I
was I knew I would miss him terribly
It began when the old doctor died
I suppose you have heard of Hope San-
atorium and the mineral spring that
made it famous
I have been spring-house girl at
Hope Sanatorium for fourteen years
For the first year or so I nearly went
crazy Then 1 found things were com-
ing my way I’ve got the kind of mind
that never forgets a name or face and
can combine them properly which
isn’t common And when folks came
back I could call them at once The
old doctor used to say my memory was
n asset to the sanatorium
He was in the habit of coming to
the Bpring-house every day to get his
morning glass of water and read the
papers For a good many years it had
been hia custom to sit there in the
winter by the wood fire and in summer
Just inside the open door and to read
off the headings aloud while I cleaned
around the spring and polished
glasses
All that winter with the papers
full of rumors that Mies Patty Jen-
nings was going to marry a prince
we’d followed it by the spring-house
fire the old doctor and L getting an-
gry at the Austrian emperor for oppos-
ing it when we knew how much too
good Mlse Patty was for any foreign-
er and then getting nervous and
fussed when we read that the prince’s
mother was in favor of the match and
it might go through Miss Patty and
her father came every winter to Hope
Springe and I couldn’t have been more
anxious about it It she had been my
own slater
Well as I say It all began the very
day the old doctor died He stamped
out to the spring-house with the morn-
ing paper about nine o'clock and the
- wedding seemed to be all off Tbe
paper aald the emperor bad definitely
refused hia consent and had sent the
prince who was hia cousin for a Jap-
anese cruise while the Jennings fam-
ily was going to Mexico tn their pri
vate car The old doctor was lndig
nant and I remember how he tramped
up and down the spring-house mut-
tering that the girl had had a lucky
escape and what &id the emperor
exp?:t If beauty and youth and wealth
weren’t enough But he calmed down
and soon he waa reading that the pa-
pers were predicting an early spring
and he aald we'd better begin to in-
crease our sulphur percentage in the
water
“By the way" he remarked "Mr
Richard will be along In a day or so
Minnie You'd better break It to Mrs
Wiggins"
Since the summer before we'd had
to break Mr Dick's coming to Mrs
Wiggins the housekeeper owing to
his finding her false front where It
had blown out of the window having
been bung up to dry and his wearing
it to luncheon as whiskers Mr Dick
was the old doctor’s grandson
"Humph!" I aald and he turned
around and looked square at me
“He's a good boy at heart Minnie”
ha i14 "We've had oar troubles with
& MACY ROBERTS RINEHART
AUTHOR
ORCXJUAJ STAIR-CAB T5Ze MM
SLOWER 'TEN WHEN A MAN MARHIES
ILLUSTRATED XP EDGAR BERT SMITH eopypiotfr & uca
him you and I but everything baa
been quiet lately"
"I’m not objecting to Mr Dlok
coming here am I? Only don’t expect
me to burst into song about It Shut
the door behind you when you go out"
But he didn't go at 'once He stood
watching me polish glasses and get
the card-tables ready and I knew he
still had something on his mind
“What has Mr Dick been up to
now?” I asked growing suspicious
"Nothing But I’m an old man Min-
nie a very old man”
"Stuff and nonsenee" I exclaimed
alarmed “You’re only seventy"
“And If” he went on "anything hap-
pens to me Minnie I’m counting on
you to do what you can for the old
place You’ve been here a good many
years Minnie”
“Fourteen years I have been ladling
out water at this spring” I said try-
ing to keep my lips from trembling
"I wouldn’t be at home any place
else unless It would be In an aqua-
rium But don’t ask me to stay here
and help Mr Dick sell the old place
for a summer hotel For that’s what
he’ll do”
"He won’t aell it” declared the old
doctor grimly "All I want la for you
to promise to stay”
“Oh I’ll stay” I aald "1 won’t
promise to be agreeable but I’ll stay
Somebody’ll have to look after tbe
spring I reckon Mr Dlok thinks It
cornea out of the earth Just as we sell
it with the whole pharmacopoeia In
It"
Well it made the old doctor hap-
pier and I’m not sorry I promised
but I’ve got a Joint on my right foot
that throbs when It la going to rain
or I am going to have bad luck
and it gave a Jump then I might
have known there waa trouble ahead
It was pretty quiet in the spring-
house that day alter the old doctor
left I drew a chair in front of the
lire and wondered what I would do If
the old doctor died and what a tool
I’d been not to be a school-teacher
which la what I studied for I waa
thinking to myaelf bitterly that all
that my experience in the spring fitted
me for was to be a mermaid when I
heard something running down the
path and it turned out to be TUlle
the diet cook
She slammed the door behind her
and threw the Flnleyvllle evening pa-
per at me
"There I" ahe aald "I’ve won a cake
of toilet aoap from Bath-house Mike
The emperor’s consented"
Nonsense!” I snapped and
snatched the paper TUlle was right
the emperor had! I sat down and
read It through and there was Miss
Patty's picture In an oval and the
prince’s in another with a turned-up
mustache and his hand on the handle
of bie sword and between them both
waa the Austrian emperor
Well I eat there and thought It over
MIbb Patty or Miss Patricia being
so to speak a friend of mine They'd
come to the Springs every winter for
years
In my wash-stand drawer I’d kept
all the clippings about her coming
out and the winter ahe spent in
Washington and waa supposed to be
engaged to the president's son and
"What’s Mr Dick Been Up to Now?"
the magazine article that told how
Mr Jennlnga had got hia money by
robbing widows and orphans and
showed the little frame house where
Miss Patty waa born— as if she's had
anything to do with It And so now
was cutting out the picture of her
and the prince and the article under-
neath which told how many castlee
she'd have and I don’t mind saying
waa sniffling a little bit for I
couldn’t get used to the Idea And
suddenly the door closed softly and
there was a rustle behind me When
turned It waa Mlsa Patty herself
She saw the clipping immediately and
stopped Just Inside the door
You too" ahe said "And we’ve
come all this distance to get away
from Just that"
“Well I shan't talk about lt“ 1
replied not holding out my hand for
1th her so to speak next door to
being a princess — but she leaned right
over and kissed me
believe it
“Why won't you talk about it?" ahe
insisted catching me by the shoulders
and holding me off "Minnie your
eyea are aa red aa your hair!"
“I don’t approve of it” I aald “You
bright aa well know it now as later
Mies Patty I don’t believe in mixed
marriages I bad a cousin that mar-
ried a Jew and what with him making
the children promise to be good on
the Talmud and her trying to raise
them with the Bible the poor things
Is that mixed up that it’s pitiful"
She got a little red at that but she
sat down and took up the clipping
"He’s much better looking than that
Minnie” she said soberly “and he’s a
good Catholic But if that’s the way
you feel we’ll not talk about It I’ve
had enough trouble at home aa It is”
With that I began to blubber and
she came Into my arms like a baby
"You’re all I’ve got” I declared over
and over "and you’re going to live In
a country where they harness women
with dogs and you’ll never hear an
English word from morning to night"
"Stuff!” She gave me a little shake
"He ipeaka as good English as I do
And now we’re going to atop talking
about him — you’re worse than the
newspapers"
And at that minute the door was
flung open and Bath-house Mike stag-
gered In
"The old docfbrl" he gasped “He’s
dead Miss Minnie — died Just now in
the hot room in the bath-house! One
minute he was glvln me the dlvll for
eomething or other and the next— I
thought he was asleefc"
Something that had been heavy In
my breast all afternoon suddenly
seemed to burit and made me feel
faint all over But I didn’t lose my
head 1
“Does anybody know yet?" I asked
quickly He shook his head
“Then he didn’t die In tbe bath-
house Mike" I said firmly “He died
In his bed and you know It If It
gets out that he died la the hot room
I’ll have the coroner on you"
Mlsa Patty waa standing by the rail-
ing of tha spring I got my shawl and
started out after Mike and she fol-
lowed "If the guests ever get bold of this
they’ll stampede Start any excite
ment In a sanatorium” I said "and
one nd all they’ll dip their thermom-
eters In hot water and swear they’ve
got fever!"
And we hurried to the house together
CHAPTER II
Well we got the poor old doctor
moved back to his room an'd had one
of the chambermaids find him there
and I wired to Mrs Van Aletyne who
waa Mr Dicky Carter’s sister and
who was on her honeymoon in' South
Carolina The Van Aletynea came
back at once In very bad tempera
and we had the funeral from the
preacher’s house In Flnleyvllle so as
not to harrow up the sanatorium
people any more than necessary
After it was all over the relative!
gathered in tbe sun parlor of the san-
atorium to hear the will— Mr Van Al-
atyne and bla wife and about twenty
‘ more who had come up from tha city
for tha funeral and stayed over— on
the house
Well the old doctor left me the hut
tons for bla full dreaa waistcoat and
hia favorite copy of “Oray’a Anatomy"
I couldn't exactly aet up housekeeping
with my share of the estate
They thought that waa fanny but
a few minutes later they weren't so
cheerful You see the sanatorium was
a mighty fins piece of property with
! a deer park qnd golf links We’d
' had plenty of offers to sell it for a
summer hotel' but we’d both been
dead against It That was one of the
reasons for the wilL
The whole estate was left to Dicky
Carter who hadn't been able to come
j owing to his being laid up with an
! attack of mumps The family sat up
j and nodded at one another or held
up its hands but when they beard
I there waa a condition they breathed
j easier
Beginning with one week after the
reading of the will — and not a day
later— Mr Dick waa to take charge of
the sanatorium and to stay there for
two months without a day off If at
the end of that time the place was
being successfully ' conducted and
could ahow that it hadn't lost money
the entire property became his for
keeps If he failed It was to be sold
and the money given to charity
Well the family went back to town
In a buzz of Indignation and I car-
ried my waistcoat buttons and my
"Anatomy" out to the spring-house and
had a good cry Thera was a man
named Thoburn who was crazy for
the property aa a summer hotel and
every time I ahut my eyes I could see
"Thoburn House" over the veranda
and children sailing paper boats In the
mineral spring
Sure enough the next afternoon Mr
Thoburn drove out from Flnleyvllle
with a suit case and before he'd taken
off his overcoat he came out to tbe
iprieg-bousa
"Hello Minnie” he exclaimed
"Does the old man'a ghost come back
to dope tbe spring or do you do it?”
“I don’t know what you are talking
about Mr Thoburn” I retorted sharp-
ly “If you don't know that this spring
haB its origin in—”
"la Schmidt’s drug Btore down in
Flnleyvllle!’ he finished for me "Oh
I know all about that spring Minnie!
Don't forget that my father's cows
used to drink that water and liked It
I leave it to you” he said sniffing “if
a Belf-respectlng cow wouldn’t die of
thirst before she drank that stuff as
It is now"
I'd been filling him a glass — It being
a matter of habit with me — and he
took it to the window and held It to
the light
“Ttou’re getting careless Minnie" he
said squinting at it "Some of those
drugs ought to be dissolved first In
hot water There's a lump of lithla
there that has Schmidt's pharmacy la-
bel on it”
"Where?" I demanded and started
for it He laughed at that and put-
ting the glass down be came over and
stood smiling at me
"As Ingenuous aa a child" he said
in bis mocking way “a nice little red'
haired child! Minnie how old Is this
young Carter?”
"Twenty-three"
"An— er— earnest youth? Willing to
buckle down to work and make the
old place go? Ready to pat the old
ladles on the shoulder and squeeze the
young ones' hands?”
"He’s young" I said "but if you’re
counting on his being a fool—”
"Not at all" he ' broke In hastily
"If he hasn't too much character hell
probably succeed I hope he Isn't a
fool Where la he now?”
“He's been sick" I said “Mumps!”
“Mumps! Oh my aunt!” he er
claimed and fell to laughing He was
still laughing when he got to the door
“Mumps I” be repeated with his
hand on the knob Minnie the old
place will be under the hammer in
three weeks and if you know what's
good for you you’ll sign In under the
new management while there’s a va-
cancy" "If I were you" I aald looking him
straight In the eye “I wouldn't pick
out any new carpets yet Mr Thoburn
I promised the old doctor I'd help Mr
Dick and I will"
So you’re actually going to fight
it out" he aald grinning “Well the
odds are in your favor You are two
to my one"
"I think it’s pretty even" I retorted
“We will be hindered ao to speak by
having certain principles of honor and
honesty You have no handicap"
He tried to think of a retort and
not finding one he 6lammed out of
the epring-house In a rage
Mr Van Alstyne and his wife came
In that same day Just before dinner
and we played three-handed bridge for
half an hour Aa live said they’d been
on their honeymoon and they were
both sulky at haring to stay at the
Springs
After the flrit rubber Mrs Van Al-
styne threw her cards on the floor and
aald another day like this ould finish
her
She turned her back to her hus-
band but he pretended to tuck the
hair at the back of her neck up under
her comb and she let him do It Aa
I stooped to gather up tbe cards he
biased the tip of her ear
"Listen" he said "there's a scream
of a play down at Flnleyvllle to-night
called "Sweet Peas" Senator Biggs
and the bishop went down last night
and they aay it’s the worst in twenty
years ’ Put on a black veil and let’s
slip away and see it” (
I think ahe agreed to do it bat that
night wfter dinner Amanda King who
has charge of the news stand told me
the sheriff bad closed the opera-house
and that the leading woman waa sick
at the hotel
“They aay ahe looked funny last
night" Amanda finished "and I guess
she's got the mumpa"
Mumps!
My Joint gave a throb at that mln-
nte Mr Sam wasn’t taking any chances
for the next day he went to the city
hlmaelf to bring Mr Dick up
He hadn't come back by the morn-
ing of the sixth day but he wired hia
wife the day before that Mr Dick waa
on tbe way But we met every train
with a sleigh and he didn't coma I
was uneasy knowing Mr Dick and
Mrs Sam was worried too
It had been snowing hard for a day
or ao and at eleven o'clock that day
I saw Mlsa Cobb and Mrs Blgge com-
ing down the path to the spring-house
"Mr Van AlBtyne Is back" said Mlsa
Cobb “hut he came alone"
"Alone!" I repeated staring at her
tn a sort of daze
"Alone" she said solemnly “and I
heard him ask for Mr Carter It
eema he started for here yesterday"
But I’d had time to get myself in
band and if I had a chill up my spine
she never knew it As she started
away I saw Mr Sam hurrying down
the path toward the spring-house and
1 knew my Joint hadn’t throbbed for
nothing
Mr Sam came in and slammed the
door behind him
“What’s this about Mr Dick not be-
ing here?” be shouted
"Well he isn’t That’s all there Is
to it Mr Van Alstyne” I eaid calmly
"But he must be here” he said “I
put him on the train myself yester-
day and waited until it started to be
sure he was off”
"Exactly what was he doing when
you last laid eyes on him?” I asked
"He was on the train — ”
"Sitting?"
“No standing What the deuce
Minnie — ”
“Waving out the window to you?”
"Of course not!” exclaimed Mr Van
Alstyne testily "He was raising the
window for a girl in the next seat’
"Precisely!” I said "Would' you
know the girl well enough to trace
her?"
"That’s ridiculous you know” he
said trying to be polite “Out of a
thousand and one things that may
have detained him — ”
“Only one thing ever detains Mr
Dick and that Always detains him”
said solemnly "That’s a girl You're
a newcomer in the family Mr Van
Alstyne you don’t remember the time
be went down here to the station to
see his Aunt Agnes off to the city and
we found him three weeks later in
Oklahoma trying to marry a widow
with five children"
'TU have to tell my wife" he said
“Who’s running the place anyhow?
You?”
"Not — exactly" I explained “but of
course when anything cornea up they
consult me The housekeeper is a
fool and now that the house doctor’s
gone—”
"Gone! Who’s looking after the
patients?” '
"Well most of them have been here
before” I explained "and I know
their treatment— the kind of baths and
all that”
"Oh you know the treatment!" he
aald eyeing ma "And why did the
house doctor go?"
"He ordered Mr Moody to take his
spring water hot Mr Moody’s spring
water has been ordered cold for eleven
years and 1 refused to change It
wag between the doctor and me Mr
Pan Alstyne"
“Oh of course" he said "if it was
a matter of principle-” He picked up
bla bat and looked at bla watch
"Eleven thirty" he said "and no
algn of that puppy yet I guess it's
up to the police”
"If there was only something to do'
I aald with a lump in my throat-'‘but
to have to alt and do nothing while
the old place dies it’s— lt'a awful Mr
Van Alstyne"
“We’re not dead yet” he replied
from the door “and maybe we’ll need
you before the day’s over If anybody
can sail the old bark to shore you can
do it M'lnnie You’ve been steering
It for years The old doctor waa no
navigator and you and I know it”
The atom stopped a little at three
and most of the guests waded down
through the snow for bridge and
spring water By that time the after-
noon train was in and no Mr Dick
Mr Sam waa keeping the lawyer Mr
"You’re Getting Careless Minnie" Ha
8ald Squinting at It
Stitt In the billiard room and by four
o'clock they'd had everything that waa
In the bar and were inventing new
combinations of their own And Mrs
Sam had gone to bed with a nervous
headache
Senator Blgga brought the mall
down to the spring-house at four but
there was nothing for me except a
note from Mr Sam rather ehaky
which aald he’d no word yet and that
Mr Stitt had mixed all the cordials in
the bar in a beer glass and had had
to go to bed
I nearly went crazy that afternoon
put salt In Mlsa Cobb’s glass when
she always drank the water plain
Once I put the broom In the fire and
started to sweep the porch with a
fire log Luckily they were busy with
their letters and It went unnoticed the
smell of burning straw not rielng so
apeak above the sulphur of the
spring
Senator Biggs went from one table
to another telling how well he felt
since he stopped eating and trying to
coax the other men to starve with
him
It's funny how a man with a theory
about his stomach isn't happy until
ha has made some other fellow ewal- ft
low it
Then they all began at once If you
have ever heard twenty people airing
their theories on diet you know all
abbut It It always ends the same
way: the man with the loudeet voice
wins and the defeated ones limp over
to the spring and tell their theories
to me They know I’m being paid to
listen
But when things had got quiet— ex-
cept Mr Moody dropping nickels into
the Blot-machine — I happened to look
over at Miss Patty and I saw there
was something wrong She had a let-
ter open in her lap — not one of the
blue ones with the black and gold seal
that every one in the house knew came
from the prince — but a white one and
she was staring at it as If ebe'd seen
a ghost
CHAPTER III
I have never reproached Mlsa Patty
bnt if ahe had only given me the letter
to read or had told me the whole truth
instead of a part of It I would have
understood and things would all have
been different It is all very well for
her to say that I looked worried
enough already and that anyhow it
was a family affair I should have
been told
All she did was to come up to me
as I stood in the spring with her
face perfectly white and ask me if
my Dicky Carter wae the Richard Car-
ter who stayed at the Grosvenor in
town
"He doesn't stay anywhere” I aald
with my feet getting cold "but that’s
where he has apartments What has
he been doing now?”
You’re expecting him on the eve-
ning train aren't you?” she asked
‘‘Don’t stare like that: my father’s
watching”
He ought to be on the evening
train” I said I wasn't going to say
I expected him I didn’t
The wretch!" she cried "the hate-
ful creature — as if things weren’t bad
enough! 1 suppose he’ll have to coma
Minnie but I must aee him before
he sees any one else”
Just then the bishop brought his
glass over to the spring
Hot this time Minnie" he said
“Do you know I’m getting the mineral-
water habit Patty! I’m afraid plain
water will have no attraction for me
after thlB”
He put his hand over hers on the
rail They were old frlendB the bish-
op and the Jenningses
'Bishop” ahe aald suddenly "will
you do something for me?”
"I always have Patty" He was
very fond of Miss Patty waa the
bishop
Then — to-night not later than eight
o’clock get father to play crlbbage
will you? And keep him in the card-
room until nine”
Another escapade!” he said pr
tending to be very serious "Patty
Patty you'll be the death of me yet
Is thy servant a dog that he should
do this thing?"
"Certainly not" said Mlsa Patty
Just a dear slightly bald but still
very distinguished slave!”
"There will be plenty of slaves to
kiss your little hand whete you are
going my child" he Bald "Sometimes
I wish that some nice red-blooded boy
here at home— -but i dare aay It will
turn out surprisingly well aa It la"
"Bishop Bishop !" Mrs Moody
called "How naughty of you and
with your bridge hand waiting to be'
held!"
Well I knew Mr Dick had been np
to some mischief I had suspected it
all along But Mlsa Patty went to bed
and old Mrs Hutchins who’s a sort
of lady’s-mald-companlon of hers said
she mustn’t be disturbed I was pret-
ty nearly sick myeelf And when Mr
Sam came out at live o'clock and said
he’d been In the long-distance tele-
phone booth fqr an hour and had
called everybody who had ever known
Mr Dick and that he had dropped
right off the earth I Just about gave
np-
Luckily Mr Stitt was in bed with a
mustard leaf over his stomach and ice
on his head and didn’t know whether
it was night or morning
(TO BE CONTINUED)
Origin of Iron Duke
The Iron Duke Is to be the next
big British battleship The Duke of
course was Wellington but he came
by the nickname In a roundabout way
He waa never eo called until long
after Waterloo An iron steamship a
novelty at the time was built in the
Mersey and named the Duke of Well-
ington and so the vessel came to be
known as the Iron Duke — the transi-
tion being easy and obvious It was
tbe duke's union of resolution and
physical energy which made the pop-
ular name for the Mersey-built steam-
ship to fit him like a perfect cap
Such at least Is the explanation of
hia biographer Sir Herbert Maxwell
!
h
1
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Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Wilson, C. L. Cherokee Weekly Messenger. (Cherokee, Okla.), Vol. 16, No. 15, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 6, 1913, newspaper, November 6, 1913; Cherokee, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1715655/m1/2/?rotate=270: accessed July 18, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.