The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1901-12-23

EB0K OR NOTHING. .
BY JESSE POPE.

II
BY JESSE POPE.
They had chrisiened him Sidney but
even his godmother found it ina isqua.e
de was Meek on Nothing" to IL. friends
that bunderlng foor'-to lis critics
lie had no enemies. In conversation he
was as keen a sportsman as Draytoa
West who led the country; in execution
he hardly kept pace with the rank ana
file, whose order he spoiled every time
I by his uncomfortable energy.
When Neck or Nothing went D
Monte Carlo no one was surprised that
he lost an his money the first might, Re
took &c very much to heart-rcfused to
send for a remittance or borrow FROM
his friends. ramped back across France
and arrived home one daybrcab In mac
nifcent health and tatters. lie hroodeJ
constantly over his losses though no
one else did-and spent ono sleepl 81
night tying to hit on somo M ans OF
lcurailiag his expenses. Next day hc
left off collars, for collars he argued
/ were an item of expense that was never
paid for, and he stuck TO his point
/ There are not many men who can reiiu-
quish collars and still stand as vell With
the fair SEX bu, it is fact that aftet
the first shock "Necl, on N.ihng
lady friends liked him better taln ever
they called him Achilles III, and wrote
some verses on the subject on course
the reduction Of hii washing bu hadn't
really anything to do with ~ ut to
prove to the world success OF hi eXpen.
ment, he shortly afterward invested ina
/ big racing motor car and Went to the
4 builders to bring s home hims H.
/ What happened on thai journey No
man knows. The route was original,
anyhow. for we kept getting telegram
7 from all sorts Of unexpected places. Tbs
start was propiuous. for Coins strong,
Absolutely the very pest, Faster and
faster" were the frst messages We re.
ceived. Then, after a silence lasting a
day and a half came a pitifa wire
send helpl followed in couple OF
hours by another "send more 1clp!'
A relief party started 10 ho. haste
only 20 return apprehensiye and crest
fallen. The career had been easy to
follow up TO a certain point ;hen the
/ clue suddenly vanished.
In many small towns That gre
Motor Car" formed the topic of street.
corner conversation.
However after half a weeks suspense
came the final telegram, ARRIVE
o'clock sharp ANA al that ham Quit
q gathering turned out to welcome the
wanaarer. But the white hsn roac
stretched before u long and naie, with
nothing to relieve the monotony but an
/ old rold-mender steering no.sy track
/ ON his ancient tricycle. So much for
Neck ol Nothing's" vaun,ed runctuai-
/ ity, and we still gazed at the point whcr,
the road-mender dlsmouated, and there
wan, grimy, weary. snd disbsyelled-
stood meek of Nothing" h.msss Some
seized him by the houd; some, hey say
/ fell upon his neck but al with one
voice exclaimed:
but where's tho motor car
i meek or Nothing glanced at the
rusty structure az MS side
I'm sorry to disappolni YOU ne said,
but | snapped IL with an 2,d road
mender for this The poor cd char
seemed Wiling Heaven knows | was"
His voice sounded far away and un-
familiar, his face was refined by suffer
ing. but he wore tae grateful air of a
man freel from a haunting ca,c
Shortly after this there happened 10
Meek or Nothing what happens TO ali;
a triaing event to some, 10 him a catas
trophe He fell in love. It was Just
about this time that Flora first appeared
upon the scene. and ii was always poor
Flora's fate to be a disturbing element
Life would have been so much NOR
peaceful and so muah less interesting
without her. Her face was like a pie.
ture, her blue eyes melting and sympa
thetic and her voice so caressiag tina.
everybody's heart went out 10 her al
once. At first all went we'll, he girls
took It in turn to sit next to lie. and
hold her hand; the men stood by and
looked or Gradually, however, this
order Of thing became reversed, and
then, Of course, local politics grew COM
pllcated. 1t really wasn't Flora'a faui
-at least she told as il wasn't She al
ways felt the need of affection, and %
people did love her, how could she pre-
vent them telling her so2 II was no.