Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1913-12-25

OF Rome. They were still gambolins
over the OLD town. while Earlville had
quilt its Hotel Metropole with English
steeplechase scenes around the dining
room wainscot. Rome had had Miss
Amelia Parsons. Of the Parsons house.
and her l o'clock Sunday dinner. with
chicken. since 1856. Earlville had its
Elk club lone with a brownstone
'front.'. Rome had its Shakespeare club
when met Thursdays at h ladies'
homes. Earlville had its syndicate the
ater IN cream brick: Rome had its
opera house sheathed in tin Imitation
or sandstone-and peeling off. Earl
ville-but why rehearse? There is the
Cafnegie library, the Young Mems
christian association. the federal build
ing. the paid fire department. the in
terurban. the home of Congressman
Hall, which. like all the homes Of great
men In III west, was spiked with the
militant decoration of a German cake
the east addition. and the factory dis
trict.
Rome had none of these. In lieu Of
town plats 1t had ali imperial isola-
ton. When the Earlville boosters. in
train, went up the valley. to serenadc
other communities M parade in silk
la and White flannel trousers. Rome
Mae oeudiiy entertaining uistIlCl oeie-
gates to the Baptist Young Peoples
association; and when a girl "show"
struck Earlville. direct from 200 nights
IN chicago. Rome's tin opera house was
invariably given over to Flint, the hyp-
notist, the Swiss Bell Ringers. or
the chautauqua quartet.
Mr.. Curran accepted tickets to these
on advertising and sat gloomily all
through. After all. Mr.. Curran was a
loyal citizen. Even though he did print
the story Of the drummer who related
that Miss Amelia Parsons, OF the Par
sons house. insisted on his sleeping
with brown papers under his ears, lest
the pillows become soiled too soon at
ter h Saturday change.
OF course he lost advertising. But
Mr.. Curran had ar unhappy mania for
printing things that lost advertising.
Even nov Miss Vance. looking with
patient eyes at the three-Harlan. fair
skinned, resolute. serious. his large
boned frarne carrying. at 81. a mans
dignity: her brother Arne. soil burned.
Indian checked. nervous, lean. a Lin
colnian awkwardness about his clothes:
and then Wiley with his young-old
eyes, the close brown beard. lending
him. in Rome, an unacceptable foreign
air-felt ny. Curran's perennial failure.
At is, when she taught her first
school. she supposed that Wiley would
ask her to marry him. but he had gone
off on footless wanderings. Twelve
years later he came back, a trifle stout
er, a bit sad. still mischievous, the
many sided friend. but not the lover.
She had gone on to a successful and
widening career; h had developed d
personality, made a place; but Wiley
we'll. Wiley had become "Curran of the
News" Even now Harlan Van Hart,
many years the younger. was fitting
himself for his fathers honored foot
steps; Arne was enthusiastically put
ting in his great schemes for soil sweet
ening, lecturinY to farmers institutes,
and dabbling In county politics; but
Wiley had marked time.
She was too sane, too finely schooled
to linger over sentimental regrets be-
cause OF Wiley or herself. Only, as a
wife. and q wife of q man OF affairs,
she saw one pot to the larger life she
longed for. She had the instructive po-
litical predictions Of her family; the
man she should marry must bulk up
with the county mcn at least. Arne.
back from his eager drinking of eco
lege in the west, was already listened
to. bl& Wiley's paper-well, it was only
the News barking away as it had done
since abolition days! The county was
used to that.
Yet Janet had a peculiar sense of his
closeness to all hat prosy life of the
countryside. Never a losing grievance
of the farmers for which the News did
not contend; never a day but what, in
and out of the shabby old shop, some
shy countryman did not stray to relate
the district news. to ask a favor or
confirm some rumor. Curran had in
herited all this. and curiously. with all
his dilettante indrawing and worldly
sophistication. had delighted in it. In
her drivings to lonely districts on
school visits the lady superintendent
found this insistent interest. 1.-THE
News editor" what was he doing or
saying?
When she related this, Curran had
laughed carelessly; just as he laughed
when Janet urged him to run for con-
gress: just as he had laughed, run
ming his blued fingers ruefully through
his hair, when she asked Of his plans
for the abortivc Inland Empire. Miss
Vance. in the case Of MI. Curran. usu-
ually concluded by going on and disre-
garding him.
I suppose" he put in now. on Arne's
never ending satire Of county affairs,
I'll have to shag along with the old
town lone. You boys off to college.
and Janet visiting the district schools.
.Christmas-who1l be home Christ
mas" He appealed to Harlan ingenu-
ously.
June for me. Til run down to Wash
ington for Christmas at the senator's"
Wiley slowly considered. Senator
Fairchild. cousin Of Mrs. Van Hart, one
time cabinet officer. intimate of the
president. most powerful figure from
the west at Washington. Surely, for
a country judges son. the mere relat-
ing Of dinner at Fairchild's bespoke a
flattering future. Harlan was. indeed,
the son of fortune.