The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-11-09


/ Mary Manning was the only daughter of
the richest farmer in Lower Corners, and
! the one girl in the community who had
/ tossed aside the blue bonnet of the dis
( trict school and become a seminary girl
abroad. She saw in Kinney something
more than clod, something higher than
the creator of a weekly rural paper.
She respected him for his wide fund Of in
/ formation, for his rugged sincerity, for
his physical and mental power She-but
she herself could not have told by what
process she came to hold tender re-
gard for this modest giant among pyg-
mics. Possibly it was because he was
at once so gentle and so strong.
Lower Corners was suspicion enough,
about most things. but it did not stop
to give the subject a second thought when
Josh Kinney took Mary Manning home
after choir practice.
Would she protest when he should tell
her of his longing, OF his love? You.
gentle reader, know she would not, and
Josh made bold enough one night. when
the moonlight was glowing on the hills,
to find out for himself. 1t was not for
others to know what he said.
Not necessarily for publication. but
just as an evidence of good faith" said
Josh long after. when twitted about it,
There came another night when the
moon was not shining. The little office
was as dark as the great world outside
and as quiet. II was Thursday night
and the hand press was still. That seem
ed strange 10 passers-by on the road
They were used to hearing the steady
clack OF the press on that night long
after j.. If they had observed closely
they might possibly have seen that the
door was standing wide open. and that
over it was a square white patch Of
something.
The next day-ah. what Friday that
was for Lower Corners BY some freak
of fortune or misfortune John Manning
was the first man 20 ride down the road
past Kinnev's office. The sgn was just
lifting its red disk over the corndeIds 20
the east. He was whisting his favorite
tune-the one he had learned In the old
days when he wOed and won Nancy Cor
win. He spied the bit OF paper over
Kinneys open doorway. He passed
through the latticed gaze and up the
hill 10 the cabin. There he adjusted his
sp5cncles and read these words. ITO
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. IN and get your pa
per, the editor IS busy elsewhere
Manning. consumed with curiosity and
never bashful about getting what vas
coming 10 him. went in ana picked up a
paper from q huge pile stacked On the
Office table lie glanced over che first
rials-he always liked % read them even
though ne was not always convinced by
them. There was something there this
time that bIanche1 his face and made
him totter 70 a chair FOR support.
his first impulse was 10 tear hrs PAPER
i-to fragments and burn the rest. bur IN
stead he f0lde il up. thrust it into his
pocket ana hurried from the oclce.
'Drat his hide he u.Iuhied ~ him
SELF -.nr might III least have asked me
How'd he know what ( might have said r.
In two hours every man. woman and
child III Loser Corners who could had
deVoured these doubie-ieadet Illness
with this issue publication ~ tire
SauEsman Bey is suspended Ter Jack ~
su editor. j Car1e % you emr-y-lla1sl-
eI- be has gone with she fzires- fcwcr +
of Lower Corners-1ith the queen rose .
% the rosebud garden ~ girls lie
hopes he has gone. TOO. with the kindly
wishes - All This worthy rcopie lie 4
hears them no eluitirs. 800 regrets save j
those tnat come from ere sense ~
work Ed done. - he had Ideals ari I
failed % reach them 10 was rot because
ha lacked the Inspiration az yo-r Eensr-
OBS support
Better the Sarga nor Boy sbc1Id a.e
81 his ycuth than re cast 2 waif upc1
srs world ~ hlm Z SHAH hold for ms
self the tsr1erest re-le-n1rznces ~ y1u
I helre1rh whatever cc good n rrev f
fere doris 7 loved him the r-ore thar
he was crlv q boy-ilst a strip - lad /
Who Iouged 90 re nan ard Weld q
mans power Ply thzt enc 80 ycuuE .
should 1ot have ha1 wiser hand q
peiut BIS way ard guide his Eavs-iuE 4
fee-- Whcn you. ny friends, slal read 4
thrse liaes his life Nil have closed add 4
ulins-vi 81 have leE-1 l. ta-lsr measure
John EoEsr1 Todd