Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1903-02-05

from the dead that echoed through the
voice Of the living was one of pity and
forgiveness.
But the days of the leagues nega7
tive, defensive warfare were over. The
fight was to the death, and now the
war was to be carried into the enc
my's county. The league men pro-
posed thoroughly equipped and we'll
conducted coffee room, reading room
and hall to parallel the enemy's lines
of operation and defeat them with
their own weapons upon their own
ground. The main outlines Of the
scheme Were clearly defined and were
easily seen, but the perfecting of the
details called for all Craigs tact and
good sense. When, for instance, YER
non Winton, who had charge of the
entertainment department, came for
Craig's opinion as to a minstrel troupe
and private theatricals. Craig was
prompt with his answer:
Anything clean goes"
ga niger show?" asked Winton.
depends upon the niggers," replied
Craig, with gravely comic look,
shrewdly adding, "Ask Mrs. Mavor."
And so the League Minstrel and ORA
matte company became an established
fact and proved, as Craig afterward
told me, a great means of grace to the
camp.
Shaw had charge of the social de-
partment, whose special care it was to
see that the men were made welcome
to the coy, cheerful reading room,
where they might chat, smoke read,
write or play games, according to
fancy.
But Craig felt that the success or
failure of the scheme would largely
depend upon the character of the resi-
dent manager, who, while caring for
reading room and hall, would control
and operate the important department
represented by the coffee room.
cat this point the whole business
may come to grief" he said to Mrs.
Mavor, without whose counsel nothing
was done.
"Why come to grief?" she asked
brightly.
Because if we don't get the right
man that's what will happen" he re-
piled in a tone that spoke of anxious
worry.
"But we shall get the right man, new
er fear" Her serene courage never
faltered. "He will come to u.s."
Craig turned and gazed at her in
frank admiration and said:
eff only had your courage!'
80
cit is not for you to say that" And at
his answering look the red came into
her cheek and the depths in her eyes
glowed. and I marveled and wondered,
looking at Craig's cool face, whether
his blood were running evenly through
his veins. But his voice was quiet-a
shade too quiet, thought-as he grave
ly replied:
II would often be coward but for
the shame of it,
And so the league waited for the man
to come who was to be resident mana
ger and make the new enterprise
success. And come he did, but the
manner Of his coming was so eXtraor-
binary that have believed in the doc
trine of special providence ever since,
for, as Craig said, IF he had come
straight from heaven, could not have
been more surprised"
While the league was thus waiting,
Its interest conferred upon Slavin, chief
~ because he represented more than
any other the forces Of the enemy, and,
though Billy Breen stood between him
and the vengeance Of the angry men
who would have made short work of
him and his saloon, nothing could save
him from himself, and after the fu-
neral Slavin went to his bar ard drank
whisky as he had never drunk before
But the more he drank the fiercer and
gloomier he became, and when the men
drinking with him chaffed him he
swore deeply and with such threats
that they left him alone
1t did not help Slavin either to have
Nixon stride in through the crowd
drinking at his bar and give him words
Of warning.
ut is not your fault, Slavin," he said
In slow, cool voice, that you and
your precious crew didn't send me to
my death too. You've won your bet
but l want to say that next time,
though you are seven to one or ten
times that, when any Of you boys Of
fer me a drink I'll take you to mean
fight, and I'll not disappoint you, and
some one will be killed" And, so say
ing, he strobe out again, leaving mean
looking crowd of men behind him. All
who had not been concerned in the
business at NiXons shack expressed APP
proval of his position and hoped he
would see it through.
But the impression of Nlxon's words
upon Slayin was as nothing compared
with that made by Geordie Crawford.
1t was not what he said so much as
the manner Of awful solemnity he car
ried. Geordie was struggling consci-
entiously to keep his promise to mot
be ard on the boys" and found consid-
cradle relief in remembering that he
had agreed ito leave them tae the AL
MIGHTY" But the manner of leaving
them was so solemnly awful that 1
cOlli nor wonder fhot Slavip,c S,,par