Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-03-31

desperation fercely at bay, into be-
Ing.
It was In the autumn of that first
.cataclysmic year that Secretary Lor-
ing, travelling from Boston to the
state capital on mission for the West
ern Pacific, stopped over train with
Kent. After q rather dispiriting din
ner In the deserted Mid-Continent
cafe. and some plowing of the field Of
recollection In .Kent's rooms In the
Farquhar building. they took the de-
serted street in the golden twilight to
walk to the railway station.
1T was decent thing for you to
do-stopplng over train with me,
Grantham." said the host, when the
five squares intervening had been half
measured. 81 have had all kinds Of a
time out here in this God-forsaken
desert, but never until to-day any
thing approaching a chummy hour
with a man I know and care for"
Kent had not spoken since they
had felt their way out OF the dark
lower hall Of the Farquhar building
Up to this point the talk had been
pointedly reminiscent; OF the men OF
their first university year. Of mutual
friends In the far-away Goods coun-
try" to eastward, of the Gastonian epic.
Of all things save only two-the ex-
Hes cast for fortune in the untamed
west, and one other.
THAT brings us little nearer to the
things that be-and to your prospects.
David" said the guest. How are
you fixed here?"
Kent shrugged.
Castor Is dead, as you see; too
dead to bury"
"why don't you get out Of 1t. them"
ri shall some day perhaps. Up to
date there has been no place to go to,
and no good way to arrive. Like
some thousands of others, I've made an
ass of myself here, Loring."
by coming, you mean? Oh, I don't
know about that. You have had some
hard knocks, I take it. but If you are
the same David Kent used to know,
they have made bigger man OF you"
Think so?"
"I'd bet on It. We have had the
CASTOR epic done out for us in the
newspapers. No man could live
through such an experience as you
must have had without growing a
few inches. Hello! What's this?"
A turned corner had brought them
In front of a lighted building in Texas
street with a struggling crowd gath
cred about the porticoed entrance. As
Loring spoke, there was a rattle Of
snare drums followed by the dunn
dunn of the bass, and brass band
ramped out the opening measures OF
a campaign march. ..-.
1T is a rally" said Kent, when they
had passed enough beyond the zone
Of brass-throated clamorings to make
the reply audible. IT told you that
the CASTOR wolf-pack had gone into
politics. We are in the throes Of a
state election, and there Is to be po-
litical speech-making at the opera
house tonight, with Bucks in the title
role. And there Is q fair measure OF
the deadness of the town! When you
see people flock together like that to
hear a brass band play, 1t means one
Of two things: that the town hasn't
outgrown the country village stage,
or else 1t has passed that and all other
stages and is we'll on its way to the
cemetery"
"That is one way Of putting IT," Lo-
ring rejoined. "If things are as bad
as that, it's time you were moving on,
don't you think?"
81 guess So" was the lack-luster re-
sponse. "Only I don't know where to
60, or what to do when get there"
They were crossing the open square
in front of the wide-eaved passenger
station. A thunderous tremolo. dom
mating the distant band music, thrilled
on the still air, and the extended
arm of the station semaphore with Its
two dangling lanterns wagged twice.
MY train," said Lorlng, quickening
his step.
NO" Kent corrected. "It is a spe-
cial from the west, bringing a Bucks
crowd to the political rally. Number
Three isn't due for Is minutes yet, and
she Is always late"
They mounted the steps Of the sta"
ton platform in good time to meet
the three-car special as 1t came clat-
tering in over the switches, and pres
emily found themselves in the thick Of
the crowd of debarking rallyers.
| It was q mixed masculine multitude.
fairly typical of time, place and occa-
sion: stalwart men Of the soil for the
greater part, bearded and bronzed and
rough-clothed, with here and there a
range-rider in picturesque leathern
straps, sagging pistols and wide
tapped sombrero.
| Loring stood aside and put up his
eyeglasses. 1t was his first sight near
at hand of the untrammeled west In
puris naturalibus, and he was finding
the spectacle both instructive and d.
verting. Looking to Kent for fellow
ship he saw that his companion was
holding himself stiffly aloof; also, he
remarked that none of the boisterous
partisans flung a word Of recognition
in Kent's direction.
Don't you know any Of them?" he
asked.
Kent's reply was lost in the deep
chested bull-bellow OF a cattleman
from Rio Blanco.
Hold on a minute, boys, before you
scatter! Line up here and let's give
three cheers and tail-twister for next
| Governor Bucks! Now, then-every-
| hodvt Hin him."