Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-22
JAKE HAS LIVED Up TO HIS
NAME AND MADE a
MUSS OF IT.

MUSS OF 1T.
But the latter was sandwlched d neIwee of
A dreamy night picture. done mostly Oh
dark blues. of the Flight into Egypt
and another with much rich crimson streWn
about promiscuously OF rhe BOY Chi'9'
with the Wise Men in the Temple VII
Nv g.45 the fate of Cooper in Toms River
was irrevocably sealed. His own neigh
bors had abandoned him as never u con-
gressional candidate had been apahuoheu
shere before So humiliating' and over
wbelminC was his downfall so FAR as til@
town went, that even the frlends OF Nus
ser had the decency to guess what asonS
II must give him, and refrained from cheer-
ing on his own lawn. He tried TO smile as
even Sam Bull gave up hope, but IL was
not q wholly satisfactory effort
Within ten minutes afterward the hrst
returns fror;: the outer district were brought
I'm by one OF Sam Bulls riders, and they
created a sensation There seemed 10 ps
no one in that crowd who had TeaiZeu
what had been clear to Betsey Bobbln:
That while the charges against Cooper hau
had very general circulate in Toms
River they had had none almost beyond us
narrow limits Few knew of this. Billy
had told Bull that he had taken kilograms
which he supposed had covered the matter
down to Barnard. and Bull never CONSIDER
cred the possibility that they might not
have been sent. The fact that the copies
of the Express which would ordinarily have
been printed for Out-Of-town circulation
had not been issued had not been taken
general n.
whole affair at the Express office, when
would have been a nine days wonder at an
ordinary time. had been almost lost sight
of in the excitement following, first the
revolt against Cooper and now the regret
Cor it and anger against Musser. who was
believed to have planned it, and Selklgk'
who was believed to have been his pur-
chased tool
At first SelSirk bordering in the dark,
was filled with blind anger against old foe
and friend alike. That Musser must have
bought up Hubbard, and mis- absence gwen
them clear field TO do their work in, was
clear to him. But that he, Selkirk, should
be condemned unEeard! That hurt him
most of all. He did not know how mystic
rious his absence must have seemed to his
good friends. for he supposed that, or
course his notes must have been delivered
at the Cooper house by Billy. He could
see that there seemed to be many things
against him. but he could not see the whole
black fabric as II appeared to others. HIS
heart in his throat. He had come to
Toms River that night so fun of exultation
and happiness that it was doubly hard for
him to meet this black mass of calumny
and misunderstanding on his arrival. He
felt that he would have given much If some
one had stopped him on the street before
he had reached the Cooper place at all and
struck lin that he could have forced
explanation before he got there He
wondered what Mercy thought of 1t all,
Ten minutes of this sort of thinking de-
termInCd him. OF course, he knew that the
truth would certainly develop within a day
or two. but he decided not to wait. He
would not endure such ISLANDERS for an
other moment. Boldly he started back and
boldly he made his way into the crowd
Another man was on the barrel. and as
before. every eye in the circle of faring
light was fixed upon him, and none noticed
SeliSirk as he edged closer and closer to the
little stage. The orator was deuouncing
MUsscr he approached, and Selkirk.
tense, white-f faced, eager. waited for him to
finish and say something about him The
Sol rirlx all
somewhat violent and spoke of MuSSer
an unwashed scOundrel. The crowd
cheered. Selkirk could see that Bull was
trying TO get nearer TO the barrel to stop
the flamboyant oratory and could readily be-
lleve that there was real anxiety in the old
mans mind; but he hoped that Bull would
be delayed The young editor was in a
strange frame Of mind Hurt and aston
ished beyond measure, he did not map out
for himself the sensible course TO take He
was full of bitter resentment that burned
and ranked in his brain Half the refer
ences he did not understand. but presently
came one which could not be mistaken.
They stand together" said the speaker,
traitors 20 their nelghbo and themselves
Jake Musser and Jack Selkrk! Jack Sell
kirk and Jake Musser!'
He went no further With a spring and
a fierce thrust here and lunge there. Sell
kirk was close TO him.
Its a le"' he shouted.
And as he shouted he pulled the young
man from the barrel and sprang to II him
self
There were a hundred voices that shouted
out his name or There he Isl" or That's
HIM" or something OF similar import in the
next ten seconds, and indescribable confu-
sion ensued. Al first IL was one man
against dozen. Then IL was one man
against a hundred. Then Sam Bull. Cooper
and others rushed in and rescued him.
Struggling, protesting, using every effort
that he could to reach the platform again,
he was overwhelmed by numbers and hur-
ried from the crowd into the shadow.
There Cooper and Bull stopped With no
intention of doing they had borne the
struggling young man toward group of
ladies who spellbound. were watching the
scene from the deep shade Of a clump of
trees.
There Mr. SelIirk" said Cooper. quiet
~. Il guess you're safe enough now: but
wouldn't come around here no more. You
mightn't be-"
Selkirk lacked both breath and spirit to
reply for moment. Then. both return
cd TO him. he demanded:
DO you believe that lie2'
we won't talk about It, Mr.. Sekirk :"
Cooper answered.
1t was plain that he did believe the lie
and Selkirk's heart was sick within him.
Mercy had given a little cry when she
had seen her sweetheart hustled toward her
there In the shadow. and had seen that II
was done TO save him from real danger of
violence at the hands of the mob She
stood with white fac, and clasped hands
looking at him intently. one man. half
drunk and filed by the idea that the wrongs
done TO Cooper must be avenged by his
friends. had followed the group into the
shelter of the trees. He lunged with up