The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1901-12-26

throat ana a twist in his heart
strings.
There ought to be lot of stuff
to put in here about how Dexter Hen
dersOn distinguished himself in the
war, how he charged up San Juan
Hill and earned his shoulder-straps at
Picking in the Chinese invasion. But
the trouble is he didn't do any of
those things. He just went away and
was never heard of for nearly four
years. Then one fine morning last
spring he hoped off the train at
Bonnie Terrc. roared hellos at every
body in sight, and with a squad of
admirers at his heels marched up the
street to Dolan's blacksmith shop.
l;rown and bearded as Calmuck
Tartar, broader, healthier, happier
than ever, dressed in his dirty khaki.
and with nothing bettci than ser
gcant's stripes and an honorable dis.
charge from the army to show tina
Re had been at the front, Dexter yet
doomed hero in the eyes of thes,
vulgar fellows of Bonnie Terre. The
little group of his admirers vita
Squinty Jones and Enoch Huff, the
town drunkard, leading, had almost
reached the blacksmith shop when
somebody said:
"Git off the sidewalk, fellows; here
comes Col. Henderson,"
Dexter saw his father coming. He
felt like running away, his face
bIazeG with mingled JOY and shamc,
he paused in the middle of the side
walk, looking straight at the colonel,
and stood still. The men at either
sde were silently eXpectant, all in
awe of the aristocratic old gentle
man, all aware of his harsh attitude
toward his boy, ans yet all confident
that he would take DeXter's hand and
give him welcome home. Col Hen
derSOn, the glass of fashion and the
mold Of form in Bonnie Terre, came
stately between the open ranks o.
the men who had helped to make him
mayor of the town. He bcamed
vs.
Good mawnin', friends" and with
just one cold, swift glance at Dexter
passed on.
81 guess that didn't include me,
laughed the young soldier to Squinty,
but the red bronze was gone from his
face and for a second the yellow pal
lor belied his jauuty bearing.
Dexter spent that night with old
Bull Dolan.
"A lot o things has happened in
Bonne Terre since you left" said the
blacksmith when Dexter had told his
story. First, the heightened gang
got together, an, led on an abetted
by Col. Henderson, incorporated the
place into a town and began 10 re-
form it, Us tradespeople was scared
TO put up anybody, so the swells put
their own in, an now they're runnin'
il. Tn s'loon is gone, they's a tax
on dogs (yours was shot for not hav-
in tag). it's agin tn law for to
play anything but bean bag on Sun
day, chicken fightn' is "a felny, an
as for futball, | think it's down in the
buks as homicide with malice afore-
thought. They's a license for every
thin, and If you work on Sunday you
forfeit your license. Sure, the colonel
hisself revoked my license last week
because | putt a shoe on Father Nc
ellis horse, though | didn't charge
for that same. Now the shop is shut
up, and divel an open will | open agin.
I'm goin' { sell il. I'm TOO old to
be workin', an IL | must rest
might as well be off to "a real Gimme
try"
lis the glass works inside the town
limits2" asked Dexter.
1T is, an ! know what you're
thinkin' Of" said Bull. But they's
no use tryin' 10 beat tn 'ristocrats
here. We could outvote thin all
right but we couldn't get anybody to
run"
The conference which followed last
ed till the morning birds-were crow.
ing. The next day the dingy old sign
that had hung for years above Bull
Dolan's shop came down and on Sat
arday new one went up. 1t read: