The Texhoma Times (Texhoma, Okla.), Vol. 20, No. 18, Ed. 1 Friday, January 26, 1923 Page: 3 of 6
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St..
-THE FRAUD
OF MEN"
WILLIAM ALLEN WH1T8
I I I I I T *
IT WAS In the reception room of a
club house In an Inland city,
where the two young men had
met by chance that evening- There
waa a stuffy profusion of leather fur-
niture In the room that gave It ~
heavy cast. Men were talking
knots of two or three, apparently
on business, and when an outsider
entered a group, conversation was dis-
tinctly and painfully suspended, or
lagged In cold formalities until he had
drifted away. The men there were
clearly business men, and were there
by business appointment, and the ele-
ment of sociability was manifested
only In the click of the billiard balla
that echoed In frem some Invisible
rear room, where the younyer men,
too. tired to go to the theater, or to
the evening gathering with their wives
or sweethearts, were walking un-
counted miles after the ivory, balls.
It was a brisk autumn evening, and
the clock on the mantel was striking
eight when two young men pulled
their fat chairs to the window, where
Aey could see the theater-goers hur-
rying by under the arc light, and where
they might'not be interrupted.
"Well, old man. what d'you think
of the East," asked the shorter of the
two, a very stubby little man with a
red face, red Hps and a bristling,
dose-cropped mustache. His compan-
ion waa a tall man with skinny fea-
tures . aquare shoulders, a head poised
too far back at times, but capable of
bending, and he had a habit of picking
at his mustache.
"Oh, d—n the Bast," said the tall
; young man. "Jim, 111 tell you what's
i a God's truth, they are the worat lot
of Jays back there—absolutely the
1 worst that grow on earth. They don't
ktiiw any more about this country,
and what's In It, than a satrap of
Persia. When I told them about our
scheme, showed them the map of all
this land that Is to be foreclosed, and
how the whole thing can be watered
by a central ditch, and all—you re-
member how It Is out "there—one old
rooster who hasn't been out of his
barnyard In all his life, be up and
Mid: 'Yes, all very good, very good,
Indeed, but supposing there Is an In-
dian outbreak—then where's all our
money for yottr Improvements goner
Say Jim, I Just fell right over dead.
I met old man Wilson there-say. hold
on here, what's this I hear! There
goes Martin and his kids, taking them
to All Baba; see what you're coming
to. So you Anally got your nerve with
you, did you? Go-o-od!"
With thla outburst the bubbles of
the promoter's enthusiasm subsided.
His companion reddened slightly at
the raillery and put one side of his
under lip over his stubby mustache In
an embarrassed silence that ended in
a smirk.
"Well, Harris," he responded ad-
dressing the taller friend, "you've
guessed It the first time, I suppose.
But we must all settle down sooner or
later, and anyway a man don't find
that kind of a girl every dny In the
year." He paused a moment and Har-
ris broke in:
"Oh. yes, If It comes to that,
suppose he must. I ain't a-klcklng
any am I? Now, Jimmy, that's a good
boy, come and tell ownest own all
about—" He was Interrupted In his
mock coddling by one of the drifters
—who had been knocked from half a
dozen groups, and bad floated around
In front of the formidable chairs. He |
was a pretty old man, who had been a
country banker In his day, and had
come up and put new life Into a wob-
bling institution after a local panic.
He cut in with: "Well, what are you
kids gassing about? Hello, there, Har-
ris, did you make your Irrigation
scheme go?"
Harris looked up with annoyance
written unmistakably on his face as
ha said, hardly civilly, "Yep," and
lapsed into alienee.
There was a pause. In which Jim
addressed a remark to Harris about
the big crowd that waa going to the
theater. A street car had Just un-
loaded at the corner. The Kansas man
took the remark as general, and re-
piled!
"Say. alnt they though; been that
way. too, avery night this week."
"Lookte quick!" exclaimed Harris
to his companion. "No—thla aide—
' there goes Cameron; who's that with
her? Got a new'mash* r
"Why, yon don't mean to say that
, yon haven't heart." replled JInv as
he ahlfted hla poaltlon In h e chair.
"She's going to get married, too. All
the old birds going home to nest.*
"Why, do you boys know Mrs
Cameron?" asked the banker with
, some surprise. -I didn't know she waa
In your Bet."
"Hoi Hoi And so you know the
widow, too? L. No. 884 of the Cameron
aeries, eh, Jimmy?" aald Harris.
The woman, holding to a rather
•lender young fellow, perhaps thirty-
«vt years old. dark and serious, who
was watchfully bending over her. to
catch her chatter, passed the club
window, and disappeared In the cover
«f darkness that surrounded the arc
light. She was a woman who. even on
clole Inspection, showed little age.
though instinct would have told a
dozen other things
and tripped, rather than walked.
along. One would have said that ahe
was very happy as she passed.
"Me? Oh, yes. I knew Mrs. Cameron
when she was a little girl," said the
elder man. "She came from my town
—down in Baxter. Say, how is she
making It here? I haven't seen her
for jgolnu on two years now—two
years next December, I think," mused
"the hanker. The two young fellows
looked quizzically at the old man, and
then at each other. Then Harris shook
his head and the short, fat. little man
nodded hack. They were satisfied that
the old man was telling the truth.
"Well," began Jimmy, "she wasn't
cut out for a vagabond, and she
a hasn't been' making It very well,
I guess."
"What's the matter?" said the old
man, who did not grasp the young
fellow's meaning.
"Well. Mr. Martin, If you care to
know, It's nothing more unusual than
wolves," replied Harris, as he swung
his feet over the arm of the chair ;
"Just plain, old-fashioned wolves. But
I'm mighty glad she Is going to break
for shelter. I'm mighty glad for her.
Harris added in broken sentences.
"Who's the fellow, Jimmy?" he asked
a moment later.
"Byers," put in Jimmy, in answer to
Harris' question, as Martin rubbed his
chin and pulled up a chair to sit
down and get the Idea firmly fixed in
his mind.
"Going to get married!" continued
the old banker, thinking aloud. "Well,
If that don't beat all! Well, boys, I've
knowed her since she was a little slip
of a girl—couldn't a been more'n ten
years old—when they moved to Bax-
ter. I see her graduate at the high
school—handed her the dlplomy, as
president of the board, myself. And
she's going to get married again. Well,
that gets me. I went to her wedding
with old Cameron. She was the oldest
of seven children, four of 'em girls,
and Mrs. Griggs was mighty glad to
get Mattie off her hands, though she
wasn't more'n eighteen when she was
married; but every one thought she
done so well, getting old Cameron,
and his fine house that he'd built her
—and all. But I'd a thought she'd
a got enough of marrying when she
got done with old Cameron. If ever
a woman lived ten years in h—1. that
woman did. And such a nice little
woman, too. Seemed like she tried
ever so hard to make it pleasant;
done all her own work, flaxed around
and fixed up the house, putting little
odds and ends here and there, keep-
was the first time he tied «*et
anything of the kind, end when Wj
was getting supper for him. *• w
my Wife, he set the table with the new
things, and put the trinkets at net
place, and the sacque in her chair, end
then called her to see it. She come fn
and shook her head, and turned to the
kitchen door without a word. And ehe
told my wife If she'd 'a* tried to said
a word, she would a' buret out cry-
'""It was hard for her, but she did
what was for the best, I guess.
•Twouldn't 'a' been six months before
old man Cameron would 'a' been up
to his old tricks again. 8he knew
that then, Just as well as I know It
now. But he was so big and strong,
and I suppose he was tender, too,
when he felt like It. But that was a
mighty brave thing to do, and I
shouldn't wonder If she cried that
i night for the first time In years—he'd
hardened her that way. you know,
for so long before,"
There was no one with a voice to
speak, when the old man paused, so
he sighed and continued; "And now
she's going to get married, eh? Who's
the fellow?"
Morrison was the first to speak. A
man named Byers, of Denver, he
suld. "Did you know her after she
came down here, Mr. Martin?"
"Only a little; she was trying to
learn to he a trained nurse or some-
thing ; used to see her nt the theater,
with young fellows from the club.
She came back to Baxter, now and
then. Wife saw her there, and said
she appeared to be cheerful. And the
old ladles were ticked to death to see
her. Made up a tea-party for her,
about six months ago, when my, wife
and she happened to be back together
at the same time, and my wife said
they, every one of them old people-
made over her like she was their own
child, and she did seem to be so happy.
What about the wolves. Hsrrls? Tell
me," said the elder man as he Ughted
a cigar and looked grimly at the
charred match before throwing It
away.
"There Isn't much to tell. I guess.
If every man would only tell what he
knows, himself, ttyere would be blame
little. But as every other man tells
what he thinks a lot of other fellows
know—it's the old story, and a good
deal too long. The chief trouble with
wolves, yon know, is their noise."
"It occurs to me, Harris," ,sald
young Jimmy Morrison with a know-
I lng look sideways, "that you are get-
ting mighty high-minded all of a sud-
I den. I say it's a shame about young
VIodd—
See Her Graduate at the HIBh School-Handed Her the Diplemy, ae
President of the Board."
Byers, of Denver. He seems to be a
pretty d. .ent fellow."
"Has a little money, hasn't he?"
chipped In Harris.
"Sheep-buyer for a packing house, I
u „c, ...... believe. We had some dealing with
ourselves, living right there, un-' him," said the banker, as he puffed,
"" and put his hands back of his head as
a pillow for a moment
lng up with the Chautauquy. and hav-
ing the youn? folks around her, and
being Juat the world anu all to them
babies of her'n. Hardly anyone knowed
they was anything wrong, until she
filed her suit. And we didn't know
It,
til two years before, when old Cam
eron come home and chaaed her
out of the house, one cold winter
night, end she had to come over to
our house or freeze. Many and many's
the time she's stayed out all night of
summers, when he'd come home full
and ugly, rather than let the neigh-
bor's know. Well. I must tell mother
she's a-golng to get married again."
"Old Man Cameron, he warn't so
mean with men, that way. Take him
in the bank, and though he was in the
opposition concern, I can say that I
never heard a man aay an unkind
thing of him, and that's a good deal
for a banker. My wife says Mrs.
Cameron told her that there was
times when he would be awful sorry,
and promise to do better, and be as
rational as you or me. But he got
them Jealous spells and was a regular
devil, she said. Used to beat her. I
guess, though she never said so. One
time—so she told my wife—after one
of his tantrums—that was pretty near
the end—be had went down to Cin-
cinnati. and while he was gone, she
made up her mind to leave him. When
he came home, he wanted to be sugar
and spice, and he seemed so penitent.
She hadn't been more than civil to
him, for a year before, and the bad
streak he took made her aee things
I couldn't go on that way. Well, sir,
tnougo itiinifi when he wes down to Cincinnati he
nin—where • ^° .n tha?"e turned in and bought her a sealskin
would have told a „ ' sncdue, and a new set of solid silver
was thirty-three ?Jht i knlVC8 snd forks and spoons, sod any Hme'T Wl
1- « 9 m 111 wMU".
'Something like that." said Jimmy.
"Anyway, he looks like an honest fel-
low. Somebody ought to tell him
about Cameron. It's tough to see him
going Into this thing—like an ox to
the slaughter."
"Oh, you do, do you? Well, Jimmy
Morrison, maybe you would like to
have the same man, who tells what he
has heard of this woman, fpll the
sdme thing to the future Mrs. Mor
rison. a few weeks before the cards
are out."
"Do you hoys know you sre talking
of a human being? This business
that Is so funny to you, It Is all of
that woman's life! It's your farce,
maybe; but. great God, It's her—her—
ber tragedy!"
After an abashed silence Martin
walked slowly sway from the two
friends. Each one thought, for an in
stant, of a face that he remembered,
lighted up by the warm glow of the
grate fire. Each knew the story as
the old man had told It. Each thought
of the way he had heard It. It was
fully a minute after the old man
walked away with his hands behind
him, when Harris spoke:
"Funny thing, this life, ain't It?" he
said.
"Yes, damned funny—the more you
know of It," said Morrison as he
arose. "Isn't it getting about 'that
time'? Wh^se turn is It to bur the •!<
HISTORY'S
MYSTERIES
THE KING OF LIARS
SO FAB as successful Impostures are
concerned. Giuseppe Balsamo, bet
known by his adopted title of
"Count Cagllostro" was undoubt
edly the most remarkable man the
world has ever produced, for he not
only numbered his victims by the thou
sands but practiced his chosen art of
lying wlth such consummate clever-
ness that he victimized cardinals and
princes as well as peasants and the
various classes lying between these
categories. He was. In truth, "the
king of liars," beside whom such mod-
ern examples of Cassle Chadwlck and
Ponal were the rankest amateurs.
Aa a boy, Balsamo gave early evi-
dence of his scheming tendencies, nnd,
after being expelled from school, was
placed in the apothecary shop of a
Sicilian monastery, where he set about
to master the science of chemicals
and drugs, for which he appeared to
have a positive genius. It was while
In the apothecary's shop that Balsamo
■old to a credulous peasant the secret
of a mythical "treasure cave" which
waa supposed to be near by, but. when
the purchaser of the secret went to
examine the cave, he was set upon by
a "devil" (Balsamo himself) and beat-
en nearly to death. For this escapnde,
Giuseppe was banished from Sicily
and fled to Rome, where he succeeded
In marrying a strikingly beautiful
woman and changed his name to
"Count Cagllostro."
His first venture on a large scale
was the Invention of an "elixir of
life," of which he sold many thousand
bottles at fabulous prices and. in order
to prove the value of his own medi-
cine, claimed to be more than 2,000
years old and to have been present at
the time of the crucifixion, which he
described with a wealth of detail omit-
ted from the Scriptures. At that
time there was much talk of the
"Wandering Jew" and many persons
believed that Cagllostro was none
other than this personage—a belief
which the Sicilian took care to foster
whenever possible.
When the success of the "elixir of
life" appeared to be Imperiled by the
death of a number of persons who had
taken it, Caglloatro hit upon the
acheme of organizing Masonic lodges
for women, claiming that he was of
divine origin and had received a spe-
cial mission to perform this work upon
earth—a statement which naturally
endeared htm to a number of women
of sufficient wealth to aaslst him in
the accomplishment of his other
schemes, which Included the making
of dlamonda and precious stonea and
the transmutation of base metals Into
gold.
By virtue of hla various Impositions,
Cagllostro was able to accumulate a
large amount of money and, when he
decided to move the headquarters of
bis Influence to France, It was a mat-
ter of only a few days before he be-
came the most talked of man In Paris.
It waa he who used the Cardinal de
Rohan, Grand Almoner of France and
one of the shrewdest statesmen In
Europe, in the tragic affair of the din
mond necklace, which brought dls
mce or Imprisonment upon everyone
Implicated. Including the Italian him-
self, who was Imprisoned In the Bas-
tile In 1786, but was finally acquitted
and ordered to leave France.
After drifting about Europe for a
number of years, the pripce of Impos-
tors finally returned to Rome and was
condemned by the pope to life im-
prisonment as a dangeroua foe to re-
ligion. dying In a papal dungeon on
August 26, 1785, after having duped
all Europe, prince and priest and
peasant alike. But, apart from Oag
llostro's strange and almost hypnotic
influence over practically everyone
with whom he came In contact, there
are a number of mysteries concerning
the man which have never been ex
plained—Including his origin and his
exceptional ability for handling all
kinds of strange chemicals. In addl
tlon. there Is the greatest mystery of
all: Hla power of prophecy manifest
ed upon numerous occaalons, but par-
ticularly when he announced that
Maria Theresa, empress of Austrln.
was dying, and word reached 1'aris
five days later that the empress had
succumbed at the very hour foretold
by the Italian count. Again, during
his incarceration in the Bastlle, Cag-
llostro wrote upon the walls of his
cell: "Within three years the Bastlle
shall be destroyed and the people shall
dance upon ita site"—another proph-
ecy which waa carried out to the let-
ter.
EMPIRE NO. I SPUDDED IN
While thousands cheered the actual
drilling operations on the first deep
test in Perryton field started on last
Tuesday afternoon. This test which
is known as the Empire No. 1 is loca-
ted 18 miles northwest of Perryton In
Beaver County, Oklahoma. Many
thought that the drillers would not be
leady to spud in but they sunk the
big drill on schedule time.
One of the features on the day's en
A number of speeches were
by local men and visitors.' Judge K.
T. Correll, Judge J. M. Grigahy, At-
torney H. C. Allen tad last but not
least H. C. Coffee. Henry Coffee is
a man who has probably done more
than any one man or two or three
men to get this section a real oil teat
He has been tireless in hi« efforts to
put over this deal and if oil is dis-
covered in this field we are not going
to hesitate a minute, in giving the
credit to him who we know has much
undent
feed which was provided by the Per-
ryton Chamber of Commerce. There
was plenty of food for everybody,
sandwiches by the thousands, a wagon
load of apples and over hundred gal-
ions of coffee. Thoae in charRe of this
worked hard and deserve credit for
the manner in which it was handled.
themselves very creditably indeed. We
hope that it will not be many months
before we will see another crowd as
large as this assembled at this well
to watch the golden fluid spout over
the Wp of the big derrick. Yes who
knows but what this will come to pass
Here's hopin.-Perryton Herald.
Bring us your Poultry, Hides and
Furs and get the very highest mar-
ket prices at all times.
We Are Talking to
People Who
Want Lumber
•i
We want to emphasize the quality of our lumber
and mill supplies. The life of your building will de-
pend upon construction. A good builder and good
lumber will accomplish wonders.
*. .- 1 - * * ' ;
TALK IT OVER WITH US
Resident Lbr. Co.
Texhoma
Boise City
Spearman
A Good Steak Makes a Better Meal
Try us for GOOD meats.
We sell no other kinds. >
Come to us for butter,
cheese, and lard
^■Cic^iSSncAXiT
When you buy here.
The Star Meat Market
: UII !iw.i il. •
Town In Francs.
The geography lesson waa about to
begin, and the subject of It w~
France.
Accordingly the teacher started off
with the question: "Now In this
past terrible war who was our princl
pal ally?"
"France," enme the answer from a
rhorus of voices."
"Quite right." said the teacher,
beaming. "Now can any of you give
me the name of a town In France?"
A small boy at the back of the
class almost fell over in his eauemess
to tell. "Somewhere," he said breath-
lessly. — Pittsburgh Chronicle-Tele-
graph.
Half Price.
Billy— Doube header this afternoon,
Jlmttle. _
jlmmle—U*v, lHat's great. , TWe
gfljbai fot tthe |^indtnWl«r. ^ „
BEAUTY CULTURE
Every thing you need to help make yourself pre-
sentable for any occasoin.
And you will be pleased at the reasonable price on
each item.
DROP BY DROP
The proper mixture of the various ingredienta fa
any prescription is measured #
Quality of each item is used. we use me uunu *
care at all times.
SCHOOL BOOKS AND SUPPIELS
Palace Pharmacy
Prescriptions Our Specialty
Fred L. Miller P~l - W.H.Vfa ert
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The Texhoma Times (Texhoma, Okla.), Vol. 20, No. 18, Ed. 1 Friday, January 26, 1923, newspaper, January 26, 1923; Texhoma, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metapth350987/m1/3/: accessed April 19, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.