Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1906-12-06

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down with me?"
4 broken old man, now. I'm goin' down
to the square If can walk that fur,
and set on bench in the sun"
Uncle Peter did succeed In walking
as far as Madison square He walked,
| indeed, with step of amazing spring.
ness for a man of his years. But there,
! insteai Of reposing in the sun, he en-
tered cab and was driven to the VAN
devere building, where he sent In his
name to Rulon Shepler.
He was ushered into Shepler's Office
after a little delay. The two men
shook hands warmly. Uncle Peter was
grinning now with rare enjoyment--ne
who had in the presence of the family
shown naught but broken age and
utter dependency.
"You rough-Aoused the boy conslder-
able yesterday"
II never believed the fellow would
hold on" said Shepler. Pm sure
you're right in way about the st.
There isn't another man in this Sec
ton who'd have plunged as he did.
Really, Mr.. Bines, the streets never
known anything like it. Here are
those matters"
He handed the old man dozen or so
certified checks on as many diffare
banks. Each check had many figures
on it. Uncle Peter placed them in his
old leather wallet.
81 knew he'd plunge" he said, taking
the chair proffered him, near Shepler's
desk. 81 knew he was a natural born
plunger, and | knew that once he gets
an idea in his head you can't blast it
out; makes no difference what he stars
ON, he'll play the string out. HIS pa
was jest that way. Then of course he
want used to money, and he W 3
ignorant of this game, and he didn't
realize what he was doin'. He sort OF
dlstrusted himself along toward the
last-but l kept him swelled up good
and plenty"
"Well, I'm glad it's over, Mr.. Bines.
or course concede the relative In
signifi ,ance of money to young man
or his qualities"
mot it's relative insignifcance, Mr..
Shepler-it's plain damned insignifi-
canoe, II you'll excuse the word. IL
that boyd gone on he "a been one
of what Billy Brue calls them high.
collared Clarences-no good fur any,
thing but to spend money, and get apo
plexy or worse by 40. AS 1t Is now,
he'll be a man. He's got his health
turned on like a steam radiator, he's
full of responsibility, and he's really
long-headed."
Glow did he take the loss?"
"He acted jest like healthy baby
does when you take one toy away from
him. He cries a minute, then forgats
all about it, and grabs up something
else to play with. His other toy was
bad. What he's playin' with now will
do him lot of good"
Hes not discouraged, then--he's
really hopeful?"
THAT amt any name fur 1t. Why,
he's actin this mornin' jest like the
worlds his oyster-and every month
had an r. in 1t at that"
I'm delighted to hear 1t. I've al
ways been taken with the chap; and
IN very glad you read him correctly.
It seemed to me you were taking a
risk. 1t would have broken the spirit
of most men,"
"Well, you see knew the stock.
It's pushin', Lghtin' stock. My grand
father fought his way west to Pennsyl-
vania when that country was wilder'n
Africa, and my father fought his way
to Ohio when that was the frontier.
seen some hard times myself, and this
boys father was a fighter, too. So
knew the boy had 1t in him, all right.
He's got his faults, but they don't hurt
him none"
"Will he return west?"
"He will that-and the west is the
only place fur him. He was gettin' bad
notions ABOUT his own country here
from them folks that's always crackln'
up the 'otner side 'sif there want any
this SIDE worth speakin' of in com
pary. This was no place fur him.
Mr.. Shepler, this whole country is
Gods country. l don't talk much
about them things, but believe in God
"a man has to II he lives so much
alone In them wild places as l have
and believe this country is His favor
lite. I believe He set 1t apart fur great
works. The history of the Unit I'd
States bears me out SO fur. And
didn't want any of my stock CROWN
up without feelin' that he had the best
native land on earth, and without be-
in ready to fight fur 1t at the drop of
the hat. And Jest between you and
me. I believe we can raise that kind
In the west better'n you can here In
New York. You got fine, handsome
town here, it's a corkin' good place to
see-and get out of-but 1t amt any
lbreedin' place-there amt the room to
grow. Now we produce everything In
the west, includin' men. Hc~e you
don't do anything but consume-in.
cludin' men. II the west stopped pro-
ducin' men fur you, you'd be as bad
on as II 1t stopped producin' food.
You can't grow a big man on this
island any more than you can grow
wheat out there on Broadway. You're
all right. You folks have your uses.
Il amt like one of these crazy fools
that thinks you're rascals and all like
that; but my point Is that you don't
get the fun out Of life. You don't get
the big feelin's. Out In the west
they're the flesh and blood and bone;
/ ond yn,, x>aonI> haro man min, M diSre-