Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1913-10-30
none Of the best people. Anybody who
was anybody wouldn't think OF moving

none Of the best people. Anybody who
was anybody wouldn't think OF moving
away.
Except Mr.. Curran. He wondered |
why he had come back. Sentiment
brought him as it bad sent him forth,
as it directed most Of his affairs. Senti-
ment, this September afternoon. kept
MIN sitting on a a OF stock paper In
front Of the News office. watching the
town kids bat flies on tho vacant lot
next to him. 1t was press day, the
weeks issue was run off and Aleck and
Jim Minis, the tramp printer, We're
wrapping the mail list to take to the
postoffice in a w~heelbarrow. Mr.. Cur
ran ought to hav been busy. but he
smoked and watched the town kids.
In that same lot he batted flies with
the same fence for a back stop, yelled
the same derision at the pitcher. broke
the same windows and fled down the
same alley when old Marshal Bee came
doddering from the court house on
complaint of the Widow Steger. Mr..
Curran could sentimentally forget that
he was 80.
A clamor OF .hc h.gh school football
practice came from behind the curtain
Of yellowing sugar trees on High street.
Only the younger town kids still ling
cred at the summer diversion Of fly
pattlng, n for every urchin who hung
ms bare legs over h News walk in
the tarweed, waiting his turn. there
We're at least two dogs. AS Jim Minis
We're there. Mr.. Curran sentimentally
wished he had a dog-he felt himself
worthy a good dog. He listened to
Aleck Shaping his paste or the
wrappers and watched the ky
coolies yawing around the kids feet,
scratching their spines in the tarweed
n grinning up with all the pleasure
of It, and he said suddenly aloud:
Gee. I wish / had a dog!"
Then somebody. whom he had not
noticed-a big dusty nan wearing a
new and absurdly small derby hat
stopped with his hand on the hitchina
post before the News and retorted:
Gee. I wish I had a dog!"
The editor turned and then stood up
n yelled. And the big dusty man
took his hand and he yelled.
Wiley old top!"
"Rube. o old Indian!"
Rube gr.nned all over his swarthy
face. "Old top, how are your"
High. wide and handsome!"
You don't look that last. Wiley
How's the old lady?"
Aunt Abby's fit as silk. Come VI
to dinner"
II intended to. Hey. the kids still
playing ball on the lot like they did
when l was a kidd"
Season closed. Rube? Where did
your bunch wind up?"
In the cellar. I'm through with ths
game, Wiley. l can't throw to second
no more. MY arms all in. No more
OF this bush league ball for me. Car
michael's still go tina job for me
chambermaid to his. livery %horses?"
Mr.. Curran laughed sorrowfully. Sc
did RUDE Van Hart. He rubbed his big
red hands and then a telltale red nose
n looked down at the town kids who
had assembled to axe in awe. One
raced off to the high schol practice to
spread the news: iii. RUDE Van Hart
has got back!"
Everybody knew RUDE. Poor old
Rube! The whole nation knew Rube a
While back-let's see. Was 1t with the
Cubs, 1901 or '02? Eth. the bubble rep
utation! There We're other mighty
men now. Rube had gone back to the
Next spring" went on the former
Lacquer. III! stay and coach the high
school bunch. Wiley"
No you won't" smiled the editor.
When you begin to read the Sunday
sups. and spring training opens up
down In San Antonio, you'll be miss
break in the Cub recruits. and then
you'll play the season with the Cotton
league or the Three-C."
No more. Here's my finish, Wiley
right here where l learned the gam
next the News lot. Back in the old
town where you come back, too. Wiley.
Back where we was kids together"
The editor looked wistfully across
the court house square,. The big lea
guer's glance followed. A bar OF the
sunset lighted the dingy old court
house. The windows were open From
the room above came the voice
OF some lawyer droning his plea to a
FARMER jury. In an office on the lower
moor n could see a woman BEN Sc
riously over q desk, Uttered with pa
pers n reports.
THE old red. west side school," muir
INJURED Rube. "And there's Janet Vance,
and now she's county superintendent,
and I'm all In. and you're a fool edi-
tor; That girl got ahead of us all.
Wiley. since we was kids together"
Wiley sighed. He pulled his short
brown beard, that Vandyke which, In
Rome, lent him atforeign air and gave
him n reputation of being literary,
whatever that meant. Nobody. not even
the fool editor. knew exactly. Yet no.
kids spoke of him as Wiley; all the
old women came in to tell him their
neighborhood troubles; and on High
street the best families ignored him,
ever with their irritated feeling that
on points of the worldly manner he was
Infinitely better versed than they. and
that he was laughing at them. 1t was
known that Mr.. Curran had been to
Europe. 1t was rumored that he had
been in jail. One can learn a deal in
each. Mr.. Curran. it seems. had learned
to laugh.
Continued next week.
Regulation and Ruination.