The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-03-08


the other cheek? Little has he learned
of Norbert Flitcroft who conceive8
that this fiery spirit was easily TO be
quenchedi Look upon the jowl OF him
and let him who dares maintain that
people-even the very Pixies them
selves-were TO grind beneath their
brougham wheels a PROSTATE Norbert
and ride on scathelessi In this his
own metaphor is nearly touched: Il
guess not. They don't run over me.
! Martin Pike better look out how he
tries it!'
So Mother Nature at her kindly
tasks, good Norbert, uses for her
unguent our own perfect inconsist-
ency, and often when we are stabbed
deep in the breast she distracts us by
thin scratches in other parts, that in
the itch of these we may forget the
greater hurt till it be healed. Thus.
the remembrance Of last night, when
you undisguisedly ran from the wrath
OF a Pike, with a pretty girl looking
on Ito say nothing Of the acrid Arp,
who will fling the legend on a thou
sand Winds, might we'll agonize you
now, as, in less hasty moments and at
a safe distance, you brood upon the
piteous figure you cut. On the con-
trary, behold You see no blood GRIM
soning the edges of the horrid cash IN
your panoply of self esteem; you but
smart and scratch the scratches, for
getting your wound in the hot itch for
vengeance II Is an itch which will
| last (for in such matters your temper
shall be steadfasb, and let the great
| Goliath in the mean time beware of
you! You ran last night. You ran-of
course you ran. Why not? You ran
| to fight another day.
A bank clerk sometimes has oppor-
| tunities
! The stricken fat one could not I'M
| derstand how 1t came about that he
had blurted out the damning confess
| sion that he had visited Beaver Beach.
When he tried 20 solve the puzzle, his
mind refused the strain, became foggy
and the terrors of his position acute.
| Was he, like Joe Louden, to endure
| the ban of Canaan and, like him,
stand excommunicate beyond the pale
because of Martin Pixies dlspleasure2
For Norbert saw with perfect clearness
! today what the judge had done for
Joe. Now that he stood in danger of
q fate Identical this came home to him
How many others, he wondered, would
do as Mamie had done and write notes
such as he had received by the hand of
Sam Warden late last night?
Dear Sir-this from Mamie, who, in the
! Cenaanitish way, had been wont to adj
dress him as "Norbl"-My father wished
me to state that after your remark yes
terday afternoon on the steps, which was
overheard by my mother. who happened
| to be standing in the hall behind you.
and your behavior to himself later on
he considers it impossible to allow you
to call any more or to speak to any men,
Der OF his household. Yours respectfully,
MAMIE PIKE.
Erasures and restorations bore wit
ness to considerable doubt In Mamie's
mind concerning yours respectfully"
but she had finally let it stand, evident
ly convinced that the plain signature,
without preface. savored of an intima-
cy denied by the context.
"'Dear sirr" repeated Norbert be-
tween set teeth. Impossible to allow
you to call any morer" These and
other terms Of his dismissal required
to him during the morning. and ever
and anon he looked up from his desk
his lips moving to the tune of those
horrid phrases. and stared out at the
street Basilisk glazing this, with no
Christian softness in it, not even when
it fell upon his own grandfather, sit
ting among the sages within easy eye
shot from the big window at Norbert's
elbow. However, Colonel Flitcroft was
not disturbed by the gaze Of his de-
scendant, being, in fact, quite unaware
of it. The aged men were having a
busy morning.
The conclave was not what 1t had
been. (See Arp and all his works.)
There had come as the years went by
few recruits, but faces were missing.
The two Tabors had gone, and Uncle
Joe Davey could no longer lay claim
to the patriarchship. lie had laid II
down, with a half sigh, and gone hiG
way. Eskew himself was now the
Oldest Of the conscript fathers, the
colonel and Squire Buckalew pressing
him closely, with Peter Bradbury no
great time behind.
Today they did not plant their feet
upon the brass rail inside the hotel
windows, but courted the genial wealth
er outdoors and, as their summer Gus
tom was, tilted back their chairs in the
shade Of the western wall Of the build
ing.
"And who could of dreamed" Mr..
Bradbury was saying, with a side
glance of expectancy at Eskew, "that
Jonas Tabor would ever turn out to
have niece like thatr'
Mr.. Arp ceased to fan himself with
his wide straw hat and said grimly:
II don't see as Jonas has turned
out-not in particular II he's turned