Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-03-21

Assecececec . : eeeccScce
i. ! 49,
SYNOPSIS.
CHAPTER John Harkless fresh
| from college, buys the bankrupt Car
low County Herald, at Plattsville. Ind.
and starts in to reform things. His
first triumph is to compel Rodney Me-
Cuna to withdraw from the candidacy
for congress under pain of exposures.
He reclaims drunken college pro-
fessor named Frisbee and takes him on
his staff. Gossip tells him of a strange
young woman named Sherwood who is
visiting the daughter of Judge Briscoe.
1I--Miss Sherwood deeply interested
! in HAIRLESS. She hears Of the White
Caps, az Six Crossroads, whom he has
attacked in the Herald. They threaten
vengeance, and the editor is Swallowed
every night by a Plattsville friend, on
guard. UI-Harkless gets a vague
hint thru Fr!sbee that he may have
met Miss Sherwood at Winter Harbor
in his college days. He goes at night
to call on her, followed by William
| Todd, his guard. Harkless ds fired on
at Judge Briscoe's door. Miss Sher-
WOou TuSIle'S OUT anu IcluSCS ~ ACSA =
until he does. He carries her indoors.
Visiting on bench dn Judge Bris-
GOES garden, HAIRLESS and Helen Sher-
wood talk sentiment in the moonlight,
but barely break the ice of acQuaint-
ance. HAIRLESS jokes at the White Caps
but thanks Helen for saving his life.
With Helen and the Brfscoes Hark-
less views the circus parade. He res
cues Hartley Bowlder, another drunk
ard reformed by his efforts, from the
clutches of two skin gamblers, and
aided by Eph Watts. gambler he has
driven into honest courses, gets the
pair arrested. He Is again assailed by
White Caps. vI-Harkless and Helen
discover that they have met and danced
together years before at Winter Har-
Dor. She is the cousin OF Tom Mere
dith. Harkless' college chum AT night
Harkless sets out for Judge Briscoe's,
accompanied by his guard. Lige VIII
let's the beau OF Minnie BriscOe.
The wind had gone down a little, but
only little, and the electrical flashes
danced all round the horizon in mag
niflcent display, sometimes far away,
sometimes dazingly near. the darkness
doubly deep between the intervals
when the long sweep Of fat lands lay
in dazzling clearness, clean cut in the
washed air to the finest detail Of strick-
en- field and heaving woodland.
A staggering fame Glove earth and
sky, and sheets Of light echoed 1t, and
frightful uproar shook the house and
ratified the easements, but over the
crash of thunder Minnie heard her
friends loud scream and saw her
spring back from the window with
both hands, palms outward, pressed to
her face. She leaped to her and threw
her arms about her.
"What is it?''
'Leok!' Helen dragged her to the
window ''At the next flash! The
fence beyond the meadow"
what was it? What was it liker'
The lightning flashed necessarily.
Helen tried to point Her hand only
jerked from side to side.
"Lookw she cried.
II see nothing but the lightning"
Minnie answered breathlessly.
.Oh, the fence! The fence! And in
the field!'
"Helen! What was It like?''
"Ah, ahg' she painted. "A long line
of white looking things - horrible
white
what like7" Minnie turned from
the window and caught the others
wrist In strong clasp I
Minnie, Minnie! Like long white
gowns and cowls crossing the fence!'
Helen released her wrist from her
companions grasp and put both hands
on Minnie's cheeks, forcing her around
to face the pickering pane. "You must
look! You must lookv' she cried.
'sThey wouldn't do it! They wouldn't
1T isn'tv' Minnie shuddered 'They
couldn't come in the storm. They
wouldn't do it in the pouring rain"
Eyes! Such things would mind the
rain." She burst into hysterical laugh
ter, and Minnie seized her round the
waist, almost as unnerved as Helen,
yet trying to soothe her. "They would
mllu lue Fdiu, lclcu WuASPSASu.
'sThey would fear storm. Yes, yes!
And let him go; let him go!'
Pressing close together, clasping
each others waist, the two girls peer
ed out at the landscape.
"Lookw
Up from the distant fence that Dor
dered the northern side Of Jones' field
pale, pelted, tapping thing reared
itself, poised and seemed, just as the
blackness came again, to drop to the
ground.
"Did you seer
But Minnie had thrown herself into
a deep chair with laugh Of wild re-
lief. MY darling girl!' she cried.
mot line of white things-just one
Mr.. Jones' scarecrow! And we saw it
blown down."
mo, no, no! I saw the others. They
were in the field beyond. I saw them.
When looked the first time they were
nearly all on the fence. This time we
saw the last man crossing. All, l let
him go alone!'
Minnie sprang up and infolded her.
"No; you dear, imagining child. you're
upset and nervous, that's all the mat
ter in the world. Don't worry; don't.
child; it's all right. Mr.. Harkless is
home and safe in bed long ago.
know that old scarecrow on the fence |