Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1903-01-22
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By RALPH COMMON
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IcoNr1NuED.l

I'm show you in two holy minutes il
you don't light out" said Idaho, hard
ly looking up, but very angrily, for the
tapped upon the table and said sweet
ly:
you're stranger here. You ought
to get guidebook and post yourself.
Now, the boys know l don't interfere
with an innocent little game, but there
is a regulation against playing it with
guns; So" he added, even more sweet
~, but fastening Idaho with a look
from his steel gray eyes, "I'll Just take
charge of this" picking up the revolv-
er. cit might go off,"
Idaho's rage, great as it was, was
quite swallowed up in As amazed dis
gust at the state Of society that would
permit such an outrage upon personal
liberty. He was quite unable to play
any more that evening, and it took sew
eral drinks all round to restore him to
articulate speech. The rest of the night
was spent in retailing for his instruc-
ton stories of the ways of Stonewall
Jackson.
Idaho bought a new gun, but he wore
it Sin his clothes" and used it chiefly in
the pastime of shooting out the lights
or in picking off the heels from the
boys boots while stag dance was in
progress in Slavin's. But in Stone
wallis presence Idaho was most cor
rect citizen. Stonewall he could under
stand and appreciate. He was 6 feet 8
and had an eye Of unpleasant penetra-
ton. But this new feeling in the COM
munity for responsibility he could nei-
Their understand nor endure. The league
became the object of his indignant
aversion and the league men of his
contempt. He had many sympathizers,
and frequent We're the assaults upon
the newly born sobriety of Billy Breen
and others Of the league, but Geordie's
watchful care and Mrs. Mavor's steady
influence. together with the loyal CO.
operation of the league men. kept Billy
safe so far. Nixon, too, was a marked
man. 1t may be that he carried him
self with unnecessary jauntiness to-
ward Slavin and Idaho, saluting the
former with, lawful dry weather, eh,
Slavin?" and the latter with, "Hello.
old sport! How's timesY' causing then
to swear deeply and, as it turned out,
to do more than swear.
But, on the whole, the antileague
men were in favor Of respectable
ball, and most Of the league men deter
mined to show their appreciation Of
the concession of the committee to the
principles of the league in the impor-
tant matter Of refreshments by attend
ing in force.
Nixon would not go. However jaun-
ttiy he might talk, he could not trust
himself. as he said, where whisky was
flowing, for it got into his nose "like a
tishhook into a salmon He was from
Nova Scotia. For like reason Vernon
Winton, the young Oxford fellow,
would not go. When they chaffed, his
lips grew little thinner and the colcr
deepened in his handsome face, but he
went on his way. Geordie despised the
"hale hypothick" as daft ploy," and
the spending Of SIS upon a ticket he
considered "sinfu' waste O. guild sill
ler," and he warned Billy againot
"coontenancin' ony sic redeeklus nom
sense"
But no one expected Billy to go, al
though in the last two months he had
done wonders for his personal appear
ance and for his position in the social
scale as well. They all knew what a
fight he was making and esteemed him
accordingly. How well remember the
pleased pride in his face when he told
me in the afternoon of the committees
urgent request that he should join the
orchestra with his cello! u. was not
simply that his cello was his joy and
pride, but he felt it. to be recognition
Of his return to responsibility
| have often wondered how things
combine at times to mans destruc-
ton.
Had Mr.. Craig not been away at the
Landing that week. had Geordie not
been on the night shift, had Mrs. Ma
vor not been so occupied with the care
of her sick child, it may be Billy might
have been saved his fall.
The anticipation of the ball stirred
Black Rock and the camps with thrill
of expectant delight. Nowadays when
find myself forced to leave my quiet
smoke in my studio after dinner at the
call of some social engagement which
have failed to elude l groan at my
hard lot, and wonder as l look back
and remember the pleasurable antici-
patton with which | viewed the ap,
preaching ball. But l do not wonder
now any more than l did then at the
eager delight of the men who for seven
days in the week swung their picks up
In the dark breasts of the mines or who
chopped and sawed among the solitary
silences of the great forests. Any break
In the long and weary monotony was
welcome. What mattered the cost OIL
consequence? To the rudest and least
cultured of them the sameness Of the
life must have been hard to bear, but
what 1t was to men who had seen life
In its most cultured and attractive
forms fail to ina gine From the mine
black and foul, to the shack, bare
cherries and sometimes hideously re.