The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1911-12-14

noIiticlans who put things through
with a rush in the last END or the
session. Thus he came to have a
little reputation outside of his nome
county. and went into state politics.
The Lord still seemed to be think
ing Of something else, and his scan
dal with the young woman who
went down to Topeka from a neigh
boring town during the Legislature
had begun to smell pretty rank.
And. some way, the bright young
man couldn't come to the next state
convention except on a proxy, and
he couldn't find even a proxy TO get
him into the convention after hat
Moreover, most OF his practice was
in adjoining counties. Some way at
home the iuries refused to weep,
and his creditors annoyed him.
He got interested in a number OF
stock propositions that didn't pan
out, and sold out ONE OF his friends.
He acquired d bad reputation at the
banks, and changed bankers. He
owed 4 lot Of bills around town, and
spots appeared on his fancy vests.
But he was having a fine time, and
when business was dull he would
go ay-som said to Kansas City,
- .a;l %O CT Inn--nnh nnma
back rather the worse for wear.
After every lawsuit he would lock
himself in his office and corn up, and
for a day of two would go about
looking frowsy and bad, then take a
brace. get hold Of himself, buy some
new clothes, and, after having
himself barbered and massaged, he
would appear on the streets looking
as fair as a May morning; but the
hell frying in his heart glazed his
eyes, and he had a faraway look
that made people distrust him. But
he wasn't punished. The Lord ap-
parently wasn't keeping books on
him. It didn't seem to cost him
much to lie to women, so he tried it
on men, and vas known as a mighty
slick proposition. He gave his
note freely, kited his checks from
bank to bank, kept within the law,
and if a victim squirmed the victim
was told to test the matter in the
courts.
And so the years wore on. Wo-
men couldn't fool him, SO he did not
marry; he knew when he vas hav-
ing a good time, and as he passed
his fortieth birthday his face grew
hard, his eyes shifty and cruel, his
hand a bit unsteady at times, and
his friends distrustful. They said
he was smart as chain lightning,
and they had about the same feeling
of security toward him that they
had for chain lightning. For he
was just as treacherous. He was
endorsed for a high appointive office
but his old trouble came up and he
was turned down. An equity in
the best proposition he had went to
satisfy a debt, because he could moi
raise any money at either bank; he
finally married a woman and the
town smiled at the marriage, anG
his clothes wrinkled and bagged
and he shaved only twice a week
Then he grew cross and mean after
his sprees, and made enemies. He
appeared more or less in police
court lawsuits, and his outside-of
~the-county practice gradually dropped
for he was found once or twice OF
both sides of a lawsuit.
So, in the wagonet, riding to tn,
graveyard, the pallbearers didn'
really have much to say about him
, Each was afraid to speak what wa
in his heart for fear the other
would repeat it. They planted hin
both wide and deep, and rode HON,
5 in a happy frame of mind, talking O
something else. And when his es
; tate was figured up is was found il
: the big book that he had neithe
friends nor a good name; that b
died a stranger in a strange land, il
!, the very town of his birth; that h
> blackened whatever he touched, an,
D that the only tears that were she
, for him were by a woman who did no
) come to the funeral-the first wifi
; who remembered him in his youth
when he was clean and full @
! vision, before he said in his hear
7 there is no God"
: The newspapers containing hi
obituary came to the Gazette ofic
3 this week. The article was meade
B "A Good Man Gone"-a true cal
ton; but he went twenty years az
when he pOked his toe across tn