Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1913-11-06
cHAPTER 11-(continued,

you would" He added apologeticaIly
> thought you would.'
Wiley shrugged. Old friends can sa.
much and hurt little.
Why the blazes." resumed Rube
don't you marry her yet? You an,
your old shop! Then you'd make
Twins. Il she'd married me, I'd bee
batting 400. Now see I'm q bushe
and going down"
Wiley sat listening. II h,
murmured. like a man who relishes hi.
anticipation. but draws back from 1t.
ends. He had swung the circle OF tn,
west, like most Of the Midland youn,
men. demonstrating in Dakota, min.
ing. timber cruising, selling real estate
lorn hopes of impossible reforms in tn,
wide open camps OF Nevada and Mon.
tana, fruit raising on the Matagords
coast OF Texas. exploiting reclamation
projects In L.ouisiana-always the en-.
tnusiast. the dreamer. gaining. for rim
ser nothing at all except the ardor o.
the game-the mighty and expiring
Drama OF h old west In the 'SOs he
q seen and lived and exulted in; free
footed and shiftless for Is years he had
missed nothing OF the last Of the grea,
days. He had written once Of the Ana
roundup In the southwestern cattle
country and Its epic note had aroused
the magazine makers for Its b1lliance
n Its pathos. A dying flame with
life 1t celebrated. He had done
nothing more; he was back In the old
town. and merely Curran OF the News
He looked from Janet Vance's office
window to his shop. q long one story
building. implanted. gray, like a worm
that had crawled hungrily down from
the bluff to High street, to stare at the
court house from its two grimy win
lows. You would never have thought
that out OF this lethargic monster came
more ~contraband opinions. and into 1t
more unpaid bills than n print shop
in Iowa.
Over the lawn from the basement
Jail came q nan who smelled of car
ooiic acid. The town kids knew he
was q "trusty" Inc that some of the
son came every day to get the
exchanges from the News office. The
Iumigated n spoke pleasantly to the
editor n went in for the papers. He
rummaged h editors desk. opened a
drawer and filled his pipe from the edi-
tors tobacco. and came out. In the
drawer We're two dollars of the editors
mon but the jailbird did not touch
them-that wouldn't have been PLAYING
square with Wiley"
RUDE watched him go back to The
house jail. Around the square
lignts were coming now and then;
non Dickinson's grocery, the Hub
kickenheimer clothes from New York:
the Palace OF Sweets, with q departing
group OF high school girls, and q coun-
M gazing in the window mill
pond at the gold Ash; the First Ma
tionai bank with the gilt legend, Van
q q Donley." above the cornice,
and before 1t the historic hitching post
with the lead bullet implanted In the
copperhead riot Of '63-prosy and com.
1t might be, but how dear
and familiar was 1t all.
Even Wiley T. Curran, the towns
insurgent knew 1t, now that he was
back, q bit ray about the temples
AFTER years ON the great highway be-
yond the everlasting hills.
Rube voiced the curious call OF home
coming. @It's funny how some times
we all want to get back. There was
the two schnitzler boys and Morri-
he in the bank now? And
you and me-once Hen McFetridee
batted 9 fly clean up in the court
mouse clock and stopped 1t for six
months-remenber? And the night
We wa stealing Tanners grapes. and
Q fell through the arbor on tho old
woman. n they pinched you-ro-
member? What's Thad Tanner doing
now?'
..still running the county board.
soaking US on bridge contracts"
Same little old boss. eh? And
Boydston and Curry-stll on the
2 and putting Tanners work
Sure"
And old Mowry. the undertaken.
stu living across from the Widow
Steger's and watching for the old
lady to die, chr"
"Yes-astill buying his groceries OF
Dickinson. the old lady's nephew.
though he hates him worse'n poison.
because he figures on getting the case
years now Mowry has traded at Dick
inson's waiting for the widow to pass.
and every week they expect her ii
go. and h hangs on
Rube looked across at TIE widow.
garden, Its cannas and fire bush bril-
liant In the dusk. Suffering Johnson
don't anybody ever die here. WIley?;
No. Is they did the News would
nave e :iinotype, Rube, and be a daily.
And the old town would have street
lights and sidewalks. Look az bari
vile with Its factories sprtnglng IN.
and h way they're opening IN Ire
soft coal streaks on the upper creek
Why we could have. had all that Il
people mere had allowed the railroad
fo come IN. They chased away a $50
00O canning plant last spring because
they didn't want q factory Sass IN
Rome. 4 came pretty near suspcnd-
Ing publication when I heard thnt"
What Rome needs - q few firat
class funerals. Wiley"
You bet prayed tho editor fer
Wiley. mnrunured Rube, ..you 81
iost ne .~rottenest paper n Iowa. and