The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1902-01-24
THE HORRIBLE EX-
AMPLE OF DEXTER
HENDERSON 3 3 b 3
b JoH1E q. RAFFERTY

DELNG a suburb, Bonne Terre was
Of course "aristocratie." What's
the use Of being a suburbanite unless
yOn can corner and capture that neb-
ulous but brilliant treasure that is
so hard to seize in a big, vulgar city
social standing" How much east
CT it is to be zone Of our best fami-
lies" in TreesOmehurst than in Chi
cago. And how much more certain
is ones tenure of aristOcracy there
than in the city. All you have to do
is to dissssOciate yourself from
trades people, belong" to things, OBJ
serve the Sabbath, and play whist
with some show Of human intell-
genee.
Having failed to carry out these
simple directions Dexter Henderson
fell from grace with the elite of
Bonnie Terre in spite Of the lofty po-
sitiOn in society long maintained by
the rest of the Henderson family.
Col Henderson, a southern gentle
man Of a somewhat PuFitanical turn
of mind, who could not afford to send
Dexter to college, agreed with some
misgivings TO allow him a course in
the manual training school. That
finished, the lusty young fellow
begged for his fathers permission
and influence to get a place for him
in some railroad machine shop. The
colonel got red as a turkey gobbler
at the mere suggestion and gave Dex-
ter to understand that the vuIgarity
of his ambition was a thorn in the
I 4
In fault of better occupation the
youth then fell into the idle ways of
the suburban village, than which
there Is no surer route to damnation.
He preferred quOits to whist, he
played football on Sunday with an
eleven from the glass works, he was
on speaking terms with every servant
girl in BOnne Terre, and to crown
all he was shameless enough to put
on a leather apron at Bull Bolan's
blacksmith shop and work there
whenever the notion struck him.
DOlan said the lad was a good smith,
but Col Henderson furiOusly chewed
the ends Of his white mustaehe and
thought of the lion that had whelped
wolf. But Dexter pursued his scan
dalOus part unterrifed. He matched
cocks with the village drunkard.
pulled or" boxing bouts in the Hen
derson barn, went fishing with Squin-
ty Jones, the barber, and stole kiss
from Harbine's pretty nurse maid IL
plain view Of half dozen prominent
citizens
The colonel first cut of Dexter's
money allowance, then quit speaking
to him, and finally ordered him OF
the place. That fixed forever the
young mans standing in Bonnie
Terre, and he was in a fair way to
be Ostracized by the unanimous re-
spectacle element when the Spanish
war broke out. Then he did what all
weIl-established scapegraces are nat
urally expected to dO-he enlisted.
When the colonel heard the glad It'd
ings he hustled into his study.
locked the door and (no, he didn't
she'd any -tears) he got down his bot
| tie Of Scotch and "hit it for three
cheers
Dexter, having no mother to grieve
over him, and his two elder sisters
being married into the most exclu-
sive society Of BOnne Terre, spent
little time over his adieus. He lin
gered longest with old Bull Dolan. to
whom, with gentle solicitude, he com
mitted his brindle bull terrier.
Squinty Jones, proud OF the conf
denee, became the custodian Of Dex-
ter's fighting chickens. The crowd
that saw him OF on the train was
not made up Of the select Of the VII
lages but as he waved them good-by
young Henderson 1.-THE unnatural vui-
garian) actually felt a lump In his
throat and a twist IN his heart
strings.
There ought to be a lot Of stuff
to put in here about how Dexter Hen
dersOn distinguished himself in the
war, how he charged up San Juan
hin and earned his shoulder-straps at
Peldng in the Chinese invasion. But
the trouble is he didn't do aaT OF
those things. He Just went away and
was never heard Of for nearly four
years. Then one fine morning last
spring he hoped on the train at
Bonnie Terre, roared heuos at everv.
body IN sight, and with a squad Of
admirers at his heels marched I'D the
street to DOlan's blacksmith sbop
Brown and bearded as Calmuet
Tartar, broader, healthier, happier
than ever, dressed in his dirty khaki
and with nothing better than q ser.
geaBt's stripes and an honorable dis
charge from the army to show that
be had been at the front, Dexter vet