The Ralston Tribune (Ralston, Okla.), Vol. 1, No. 5, Ed. 1 Friday, July 21, 1916 Page: 2 of 8
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IWINFK
3S)
ER PRICHARD
CHAPTER I.
I luy ■ Farm on Sight
So mo moo who go Into teaching. nod
Of coarse all men who become great
toorhera. do bare a genuine love for
their work. Hut I am afraid I waa one
of fhnee anfortunatea who take up
teaching aa a stop-gap. a means of live
jtbood while awaiting “wider opportu
attics.** | had been accredited with
"brilliant promise” In my uodergrad
uate days, and the college bad taken
bio Into the Engl lab department upon
graduation.
Well, that waa seven years ago. I
was still correcting dally themes.
It waa a warm ulgbt In early April.
1 had a touch of aprlng fever, and
wrote vfclous, sarcastic comments on
the poor undergraduate page* of uues
presslvenese before me. as through my
open windows drifted up from the
yard a snatch of soug from some re-
turning theater party. I closed my
eyes In memory—memory of my grand-
father’s farm down In Eases county.
The sweet call of the village church
boll came back to me. the drone of the
preacher, the smell of lilacs outalda.
the stamp of an Impatient horse In the
horse sheds where llulmeut for man
and beast waa advertised on tiu
posters!
“Why don't I go back to It. and give
np this grind?** I thought. Then, being
no Engllab Instructor, I added learned-
ly, “and be a disciple of Rousseau!”
It was a warm April ulgbt. and I
was foolish with spring fever. I be
gan to play with the Idea. I got up
and opened my tin box. to Investigate
tbs visible paper tokens of my little
fortune. Them was. In all. about
(30,000, the result of my legacy from
my parents and my slender savings
from my slender salary, for I bud
never bad any eitravngancea except
books and golf bails. I hud beard of
farms bring bought for (1.500. Thu*
would still leave me more (turn tl.tuo
a yenr. Twelve hundred dollars s
year would hardly be enough to run
even a (I..*i00 furm on. uot fur a year
or two. because I should have to hire
help. I must Hnd something practical
to do to support myself. What? What
«ould 1 do. except put sarcastic com
meats on the dally themes of helpless
undergraduates? I weut to bed with a
very poor opinion of English Instruc-
tors.
Hut God, as the hyinu remarks,
works In a mysterious way his won
dors to perform. Waking with uiy
flicker of resolution quite gnue out. I
met my chief tn the Eugllah depart
meut. who quite floored me by asklua
me If I could find the extra time—
“without Interfering with my sen
domic duties”—to be s render for a
certain publishing bouse which bud
just cousulted him about flllltig a va
cnticy. I told him frankly that If I got
tbs Job I might give up my present
post and buy a farm, hut hh be dldu’t
think anybody could live ou a maun
script render’s salary, he laughed and
didn't believe me. and two days Inter
I bad the Job. It would be a secret
to disclose my salary, but to a uiuu
who had berm an English Instructor
In an Amerlcnu college for seven years
It looked good enough. Theu came In
the Easter vaeatlou.
Professor Kurus worth of the eco
no titles department had Invited me on
a motor trip ror the holidays. (The
professor married a rich widow.)
“Aa the Cheshire cut uuld to Alice,
^e explained. “It doesn't mutter which
way yon go. If you dou't much care
where you are golug to; and we dou't.
do we?*’
“Yea.” I said. “I want to look at
farms.”
* Hut he only tnnjrhed. too. "Any
how we won't look at a single under
graduate.” he suld.
In the course of our motor flight
from the Eternal Undergraduate, we
reached one night a certain elm hung
New England village noted for • lt»
views mid Ita palatial summer estates,
and pul up at the hotel there. The pro
fesnor. whose hobby la real estute val
nee fell Into a discussion with Hi*
suave landlord nu the subject, cousld
eied locally (Rclng a state congress
iiis i>. be was unable to consider a try
thing except locally!• The landlord
to our astonishment. Informed us that
building alien ou the village street nod
ihe nearby bills sold aa high aa |fcuut>
•ST errs
COpyfttOHT
"What does farm laud cost?” 1 In-
quired sadly.
"As muev as the farmer can Induce
you to pay.” ha laughed. “But If you
were a farmer, you might get It for
one buudred dollars an acre.”
“I am o farmer.” said I. “Where is
there a farm for tale?”
The landlord looked at me dubiously
But be volunteered this Information:
"When you leave In the morning,
toward Blab City, about half a tulle
Iteyond tbe second estate, you'll come
to a crossroad. Turn up that and ask
for Milt Noble at the first bouse you
come to. Maybe he'll sell.”
It waa a glorious April morulng
when we purred softly up tbe Blab
City road and reached tbe crossroad
A groggy signboard band pointed to
"Allumy." We ran up the road n buu-
dred yards of the fifty miles to Albuny
crossed a little brook, and stopped tbe
motor at what I instantly knew for
my abode.
I cannot tell you bow 1 knew It.
One doesn't reason about such things
any more than one reasons about fall-
ing In love. At least. I’m sure I don't
nor could I set out In cold blood to
seek a residence, calmlating water sup
ply. quality of neighbors, fashionable
ness of site, nearness to railroad, uuin
her of closets, and all tbe rest I saw
the place, aud knew It for mine—that's
all.
Aa the motor stopped. I took a lone
look to left aud right, sighed, and said
to the professor: ”1 hereby resign oiy
position as Instructor In English, to
take effect Immediately.”
The professor laughed. Ha didn't
yet believe I meant It
Tbe house waa set with Its aide to
the road, aboupone hundred feet Into
the lot. A long ell rau out behind, evl-
0ooeiEp«x tAGe O co.
said I. “A line old
Good morning,
bouse yoq bave.”
“Hed Brat-growth timber when ’two*
built. Why wouldn't It be?” He spat
lastly and wiped tbe back of hi* band
across bis whiskers.
"We bear yon want to sell It
though?” My sentence was a qoee
tlon.
“Dunno whar you beerd tbet" be
replied. "I baln't said I did/
“Don't you want to sell?” said L
"1 might.” be answered.
"Suppose we take a look Into tbe
house?” suggested the professor.
The old man moved languidly from
the door. As be stepped, his old blsck
trouser leg pulled up over bis shoe-top.
nnd we saw that be wore no stocking*
He paused lu front of tbe motor csr.
“How much did thet benzine buggy
cost?” be asked
“Four thousand dollars,” said tbe
owner.
Tbe gray eyes darted a look Into tbe
professor’s face; then they became
enigmatic. "Powerful lot o’ money.”
he mused, moving on. ”Wbar*syoaru?*'
be added to me.
• **!f I had one of those, I couldn’t
bave your farm.” said I.
He squinted shrewdly. "Dnnoo'a
yer kin, anyway, do ye?” waa his reply.
He now led ua Into tbe kitchen. Ws
saw the face of tbe old lady peering
at us from tbe ”butt’ry." A modern
range waa backed up against a buge.
old-fashioned brick oven, no longer
used. A copper pump, with a brass
knob on tbe curved handle; stood at
one end of the sink—“Goes ter the
well/* said Milt. Tbe floor waa of au
cleut hardwood planking, now worn
into polished ridge*. A door lad up a
low step Into Ibe main bouse, which
consisted, downstairs, of two rooms,
dnsty and disused, to tbe left, and two
similar rooms, used as bedrooms, to
the sontb (all four containing fire
places), snd a ball, where a staircase
with carved rail led to tbe ball above,
flanked by four chambers, each with
Its fireplace, too. Over the kitchen was
long, unfinished room easily convert-
ed Into a servants’ quarters. Secretly
pleased Iwyond measure at the excel
leut preservation of tbe Interior. 1 kept
a discreet silence, and with an air of
great wisdom began my luspectlon ef
tbe farm.
Twcuty acres of tbe total thirty were
on the aide of the road with the bouse,
aud the lot waa almost square—about
three hundred yards to a aide. Tbe
land had. I fancied, been neglected for
walla which bounded tt
hero, on the other aide of the
tbe rectangular ten-sere lot was
second-growth timber by
and cow pasture all up tbe slope nnd
over the plateau. -
Returning to the house, wo took n
sample of tbo water from tbe well for
analysis. When 1 asked tbo old lady
(I made tbe mistake of calling bar Mrs.
Noblei to boll the bottle and cork first
I think they both decided I was mad.
Now.” said I. aa I put tbo asm pis
lo my pock at, “If this water gets a
dean bill of health, what do you want
ror tbe place?”
“What’ll you give me?” aald Milt
"Look here.” said I. "I'm a Tanks*,
too. and I can ana war one question
with another Just aa long aa yon can.
What do you aspect mo to give youV
The old man spat meditatively, and
wiped fata whiskers with tbo back of
his band.
"Pitt Perkins got five hundred dol-
lars an acre for bis place.” said be.
"How’d elgbt thousand dollars strike
you?"
I took tbo bottle of well water from
my pocket and extended It toward
him. "Here." I aald, "there’a no Mod
for mo to have this analysed."
“Seven?" aald ha.
"Four!” aald L
“Six?” aald bo.
“Not a cent over four.” aald L
"Ail right” said be. "didn’t much
want ter sell, anyhow.” And bo pock-
eted tbe bottle.
1 climbed Into the ear. Tbe engine
began to throb The professor put on
bla gloves.
"Five.” said Milt "with tbe bom an'
two Jerseys an’ all the wood In the
abed.”
He waa standing tn tbe road beside
tbe modern motor cal’, « pathetic old
figure to me. so like my grandfather In
many ways, tbe last of ao ancient or
der. Poverty, decay, waa written no
him, as on bla farmstead.
"It’s jroura," I cried.
I got out of tbo car again, and
made arrangements to meet lo tbo vil-
lage aud put the deal through. Theu
1 asked him tbe question which had
been pressing from tbo (rat "Why
do you sell?”
He pointed toward a distant sstate.
wltb great chimneys and gable*,
crowning a hill. “Thin balot my coun-
try no more.” be Mid, wltb a kind of
mournful dignity. “It’s their*. I
gneas five tbouMod dollar* *11 last me
‘bout *s long aa my breath will. Tor
got a good farm hero—If yer can af-
ford ter put some money back Inter
tbe aolLv
He looked out over his Helds and wo
looked mercifully Into the motor. The
professor backed the ear around, aud
we sold good-by.
"Well!” I cried, aa we span down
over tbe bridge at my brook. "I've got
a country estate of my owql I’ve got
a borne! I've got freedom I”
"You’ve got stuck.” aald tbe pro-
fessor. "He'd bare taken four thou-
sand dollars.”
KEEP ROADS FROM ‘WASHING*
Colorado Agricultural Col logo Export
Makes Trip Through (lauutolu*
and
(By E. B. HOUSE. Colorado Agricultural
Having Just returned from a trip
Into the mountains over'the wont of
roads, n comment or two should not
be out of place at this time.
First. The road builder has followed
tbo lines of "least resistance” nnd has
given grades ns steep ss 20 per cent.
Second. He hsa made no prevision
for taking core of the rainwater fall-
ing upon or coming to theM steep
grades.
Result—Tbe road proceeds to “wash
out” whenever a heavy shower strikes
that section. ^
Remedy—Whenever a rood is built
on s steep grade broad, Shallow ditches
r* ' :v
isms
f* •' i'/ ?
trt4
many years, like tbe tumbling *tooe
U-J-J-If-----....... .
should bo built at right angles to
the rood In such a manner that the
water coming down the road to them
will bo caught aud pa—sd to the ride
and away from the road. Thaos ditches
ou steep grades should not bo over 800
feet apart so that the water may be
caaght and diverted before it collects
In su&cient quantities to cut the
ground. If a smoother road la desired
these ditches may bo covered by 2 by 0
Inch planks placed one inch opart to
allow the water to run through the
cracks and Into the ditch.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
RICH TURN TO CARDS
ths Door Contomptating
Our Car.
(Icntly containing the kitchen and then
the nIiihI* and uutboUMP*. The side
door, on a grape-Nhadowed porch, waa
In this ell. fat-lug the burn across tl)»
nay The inalu hotly of the dwelliou
waa the traditional, almple block, with
fine old doorway, composed of simple
Doric pllaatcra aupportlng * hand
hewu broken pediment—now. alaa!
broken In more titan an architectural
aenae. It waa a typlcnl hooae of the
aplendld cnr|)chter-und-but!der period
of a century ago.
Thla front door faced Into ao aged
and now sadly dilapidated orchnel
The winters had racked the poor old
orchard, and great limbs lay on the
gronud Wltut rnualuetl were bristling
with suckers. The sills of the house
were still hidden under banks of
leaves, held In pluce by boards, to keep
out tbe winter cold There were un
curtains tn the windows, nor much
sign or rurnlttire within From tbU
view the old house looked abandoned
It had evidently not been paluted for
twenty years.
We turned around tbe giant IHac
tree to the aide door, searching for
Milton Nohla. A bent old lady peered
over her spectacles at ua. and allowed
Milt wits out tew tbe barn He was.
standing tn tbe door, contemplating
8ince tho war babies of Wall otroat
have cessed to thrill os they did when
tbe main crop of war fortunes was be-
ing reaped, New York’s millionaires—
the old. tbe new and the near ones—
t *# seeking excitement nt cards, ac-
cording to the New York Mall. Tbs
professional gaming bouses oi New
Y -rk bave been pretty well cleaned
up since the newspaper* told of their
attempts to resume business, and gam-
blers with no amateur standing were
urtven to cover. Yet ao long aa It Is
pojtlble to hire n private parlor lo a
public hotal there will always bo aa
opportunity for men with money and
the dealre to piny It to gel all the
rapid lire action they
4a go example, tho millionaire son
of a multimillionaire father, whom
money comet from the banking busi-
ness. baa dropped (250.000 this winter
at cbemtn de for. vingt-et-un nnd othor
lightning shifts of Indoor sport whom
thousands change owners between
Ve-tha-
In a hotel In Fifth avenue above
Forty-second street, (marine a name
famous In the days of Ward McAllis-
ter. two young New Yorkera one night
recently attended a chemln do for
party and Mch quit (12.000 minus. It a
ewtft action the millionaires demand,
nnd they get It.
At one of the newer boetallies wtth
a European name a famous New York
club held Its monthly dinner tha oth
er night As usual, the dlnaar was
(50 a plat*, and tbo post prandial on-
tortalnmaot constated ot swift turns
of tbo csrdo in a private aulto
Present at this gold— harvest arts
a young man from Ptttobtrih who had
■Uot on Go Qunu
in steal and had coma to New York
hoping to put some of It Into circula-
tion. Ho came to tho party as tha
guest of a widely known Now York
man. nnd bristled with eagerness ta
sit Into a ’‘gentlemen's game." When
tbo party broke up at about Ova
o’clock In tho morning young Pitts-
burgh found his big wad of available
bank notM had vanished, aud that his
signature ratted on LO. U.'a with a
(Sc* value of (26.000.
The British Mu—urn.
la tho early years of tbo British
museum, whose treasures ora to bu
looked up from tho genera! public till
after tha war. tha days of opealng
ware fewer than now. Thr— days a
week were considered enough Econo-
my ruled then also. No generous
grant of public naonor sided tho
foundation of the museum A public
lottery provided tho sinews of war.
By this means 14(5.000 was railed.
(100,000 or which went to Sir Hnna
Sloone's executor*. (50,000 to the carl
and countea* of Oxford for tha Her
letan manuscripts, sad (60.000 to Lord
Halifax for Montagu* house. When
tho pantechnicons paid for by tbo
proceed* of tho lottery had doua their
duty In the removal of tho curtositioa
Montague house was thrown oper
with grant ceremony on January 15,
1769.—1-ondon Chronicle.
KEEP ROADS IN GOOD SHAPE
•pRt-Log Drag la of Grant torvlM In
Keeping Roadway* Is Economi-
cal Repair.
Tho us* of tho rood drag Is im-
portant In putting tho roads In good
shape for winter use. Thera ora over
2,000,000 miles of earth roads In tha
country, tad the split-log drag k of
grant service In keeping them in eco-
nomical repair. The drag Is used In
many states and tn foreign countrtm
It la used with two, three, or four
horsM. and la easily constructed.
Drags are often constructed of
planks instead of log*- Tho plotk
should bo strengthened along tha mid*
die line by a 2 by 0-lnch atrip. A tri-
angular strip may be used and— tha
lower edge of the blade to give the
proper cutting slope.
Usually two borsM are enough to
pull a drag over an ordinary north
road. Tha team should b* driven
with one horse on either side of tho
right-hand wheel track tha fall length
of tho portion to be dragged and tho
return mode over the oth— half of
•tuff far All tha Fag era.
"It’s Inspiring to —a a millionaire
magnate shaking baada wtth hla grimy
employees "
"It teems to inspire t tramendoof
■mount of Mtlvtty lg tha rig-iTti
Thu Flank Drag.
tha roadway. Tbt ohjact of this traab
mint Is to mov* anrth toward tha «m
tor of tha roadway and ral— tt grade-
ally above tho surrounding level.
While thla lo being accomplished pll
mudholM and ruts will ho tiled, laio
which tradto will peak the track
•nrth.
i
4?
Drag Reads Whan Idle.
Aft— tha rale, whoa you cant work
)« Um fltldi drag that road.
__
» -c
J*fr
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Browning, Orrin L. The Ralston Tribune (Ralston, Okla.), Vol. 1, No. 5, Ed. 1 Friday, July 21, 1916, newspaper, July 21, 1916; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc908192/m1/2/: accessed April 25, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.