Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-07-08
THE MIDLANDERS
By CHARLES TENNEY JACKSON
Author of Che Dqy of Souls My Brothers Keeper ETC.

Harlan, his dads judge. And the Whole
county says Judge Van Hart's the fin
est man there is. He wouldn't let Old
Thad Tanner get the best Of dad in a
suit, would he?" ...-....'
A curious consciousness came to
Harlan's face. He caught Wiley's
plying smile "Lindstrom's suing
Tanner for the loss Of his arm at the
quarry" the editor said. Tanner Of
fered two hundred as settlement, but
Mason persuaded John to sue. And
I'm afraid"-he checked his voice
well, contributory negligence and all
that. Lord, lord-two hundred for a
mans right arm--a workingman's
arm!" s..... ...i
He looked on Knure's sturdy face.
Peter, by his side, peered fearfully at
Harlan. To the dusty lads from the
Pocket quarry, Harlan was a young
man of consequence who had his
clothes pressed at the Iowa Pressing
club, and bought front seats in the tin
opera-house when a show came to
town. The town kids in the "nigger
heaven" could look down and see Har-
Ian with some pretty girl. Also he
went to the frat dances and treated
damsels at the Palace of Sweets, and
was Geek" whatever that was, and
studied law back east, and was a nota-
BILE person in Rome, Iowa. So surely,
to be the son Of Judge Van Hart and
live on High street and own one Of the
four automobiles in the county-all
this went with law and order and
pressed at the Iowa Pressing Club.
II Knute could have apotheosized all
that was best in America, next to Rube
Van Hart, who could bat 400 he would
have placed Harlan, the genial, kindly
young man of High street and Harv-
ard.
"Old Thad's a hard one" Knute add
ed, but his voice rose to a triumphant
faith. But law an0 justicell beat
him! Maybe we'll get thousand dol
lars! Aurelie said so. And If we get a
thousand dollars, Aurelie's going to
have a dress and go to the high-school
party Uncle Mich said so! And
Uncle Mich won't peddle no more
bootleg whisky If we get thousand
dollars! Then he and paw'n get along
better when he don't peddle bootleg
whisky. And" his voice fell solemn
l,, nd
maybe Aurelie'd go to church,"
The editor laughed gracelessly. He
could not see Harlan's face as the lads
raced across the lawn to the court
house.
"When?" he said irrelevantly, ARE
you coming back to practise law and
expedite the regime OF justice, truth;
benignity and the other virtues, Har-
lan?" ....... ..,....
Next year. Father wants me to be-
gin with the old firm. Donley Is a
good deal Of hack. So there's a
chance for me-" ''
"Chance?" Curran sighed. when
for a Van Hart, was there ever any
thing but chance-the golden chance
suppose everything will be cut out
easy for you. You're a son Of fortune,
Harlan" He looked about his dingy
shop, where his fathers dreams and
his own had ended. well, son, you
deserve it. All that's best in our best
blood is in you. I'm glad you're going
to settle down here. You can do so
much-much that I couldn't reach.
Your position-just see how these little
Dane boys look at you-little Ameri-
cans in the making, and you stand for
all America to them-justice, law, or
der" He checked his rhapsodizing at
Harlans smile. "Old CHAP, I mean it,
Between the two was a comradeship
which their years belied. Many a night
of the long quiet summer Harlan had
lounged in Wiley's shop, and while the
old job-press clanked, they argued
systematically Of the days questions
The west was astir with newer define
ations of democracy, and Curran, the
inutile Celtic poet and enthusiast, felt
the pulsing. Socialism, the initiative
and recall, direct election Of senator's
the checking Of judicial tyranny; these
along with the little common issues OF
the county-municipal ownership Of
the water works, road building, drains
to carry off Sinsinawa's overflow, in.
quiries into the Tanner company's
county contracts-all these Wiley hat
put before Harlan in his years of men
tai growth through high school.
He knew of the judges conservatism
of all the influence Of birth, breeding
association which were about tht
younger man, and he felt master:
pride, a jealous triumph, that he wa:
forming Harlan's deeper ideals. The
Van Harts had a tradition formed b!
Harvard, the Atlantic Monthly, New
England ancestry and generations o
thrifty but not buI lensome wealth. 4
! tempered blood, a certain coldness IL
looking on the larger aspect of affairs
all this went with the judges calm
kindly. imperturbable example. Tn
west had not broken the sense of thei
culture. They were the cautious geni
al Americans of the constitution whom
one means by "the best people"
Except Rube. He was tra-consti
tutional and a reversion. Even Har
Ian could sympathetically understand
why Rube's hands felt too big at nj
mothers dinner-table.
They walked out through the warn
scented night. Wiley sighed. "Ol'
boy, l suppose this is about the last
| You'll be gone now for year. AM
| Arne Vance is going back to Wiscon
sin to finish up his agricultural course
and Janetll be too busy with schoo
| affairs to find time for our meets II
the old shop. When we talked mos
of the night-us four. You've mean
so much to me. Janet says we ough
to get out the July number of The In
land Empire for Christmas"
Then they both shouted irrepressi
bly,. The Inland Empire was pulling
monthly the quartet had started