Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-08-05
The MIDLANDERS
By CHARLES TENNEY JACKSON
Author Of Che Day Of Soul My Brothers Keeper. Etc
= -. CHAPTER x '...
RolIina Stones Gather Moss.
Copyright 1872 The Bobbs- Merrill Company

OIner SenSallOn. Inc mCrelFtuSc tWhus
came back. Now the McFetridge twins
belonged to an older and not easily
relished, annal. They were the neph-
ews Of Sold Mowry, the undertaken
and had been the village cut-ups be-
fore they inherited the Carmichael liv-
ery-stables. But even q livery-stable
did not reform them; and promptly, on
attaining their majority. they sold the
stable and went of, to the relief of all
Rome. srgU a'a rd #
What deviltry Hen McFetridge did
not think OF in his teens, Ben did
They had been pillar of red neckties
by night and -a.eloud of bad cigar
smoke by day on the drug store cor
ner, since they spent, their patrimony
trying to develop racers In the period
when oil Iowa went made over trotting
and built a mile track in every county
and paid fabulous prices for mares
and drivers-the days Of Allerton and
Axtell and Bud Doble. But the feet
limbed NIorgans have long since given
place 20 Percherons and Clydesdales,
and the mile tracks are innocuous
county fairs, or raising corn today;
and with the passing Of the trotting
bankrupt at twenty a' p
Occasional rumor and "reminiscences
of the McFetridge boys came out of
the west as other sons returned, but
one bleak day Hen and Ben, rotund
and forty, same neckties and bad ci-
gars, were discovered In front Of Car
michaers relating a tale Of Aladdin to
Rube Van Hart. ) the broken-d down
league player. They had registered at
the Parsons House, slapped Miss Ame-
liza on the shoulder, dropped their real
alligator skin cases and walked around
the square into every store and office:
up stairs to Vawter. the artist; bllthe-
ly into the back room Of Cal Rice,
president of the First National; and to
Uncle Mowry's, Dickinson's grocery
and all through the court house. bring
ing presence Of freckles, good living,
diamond pins and dizziness. They saw
everybody, "jollied" everybody dy-within
two hours everyone. In town knew the
McFetridge boys had struck 1t rich. -
Same old town, Ben" said Hen.
same, Hen," answered Ben. Lets
go over to Wiley's and get something
In the News about us."p'i ''t ,''
But Wiley was on trying to collect
bills. He did not see the McFetridge
boys until he went to the Maccabee's
supper at Odd Fellows Hall that even
ing. There, with old Mowry, In his
long black coat and white tie, at the
door, were Hen and Ben, a self-con-
stituted reception committee for the
ladies'. Wiley was always invited to
lodge functions and affairs of the sort
because, for his share of chocolate
cake and coffee and ice-cream he
would have something about 1t in next
weeks News Notes of a Busy Day"
He had heard that the twins hadn't
changed bit, except to get fat, and
Hens diamond was in horseshoe pin,
while Ben's was set in a real and i'm
mense nugget.
Hen and Ben slapped him on the
back simultaneously and spilled coffee
over his best trousers.
Hello, Wiley-you old gazabe!"
"Still running the old sheet, Wiley,
that the old man used to chase us out
off" aar .l..#a ''. ,.-.
yes. Hello, Hen-Hello, Ben! Yes,
I'm making out about the same!"
Poor shedding, Ell? Hear c i Rice
and Old Thad bumped you when they
arranged to have the Earlville papers
get over here for early delivery. Say,
heard about us in oil?".: =
Yes"
big. Tulare fields. California. Hen
and me was beating it from one water
tank to another one day-fippered,
both of us. Cleaned out in the dray
business in Fresno. Well, Hen and me
coming down a canon along the track
about dark, saw some COW tracks. Now
we saw the stars shining up out of
those COW tracks. Wiley, If it had been
YOU that's all you would have seen,
Just stars shining back from them cow
tracks. But Hen and me saw OIL"
ben and me prospected, and lit FOR
town and entered that whole blamed
COW pasture. Then we went to Los
Angeles, where all the easy marks In
the United States come out, and we
capitalized them COW tracks. Say, we
got more engraved certificates of stock
than you can shake stick at sluins
round California this very minute"
Did they bite?" put in Ben
couldn't keep 'em off with club"
Cray about u.s." said Hen-"us and
the COW tracks We organized and sold
more stock for development, and blew
Il in: and whenever we wanted more
money we assessed the stock and go'
It. Finally the whole company blew
up-Hen was president, and they sale
they didn't want a president who spent
all his professional time at the CIR
shows in Los"
Hen looked at Ben-"Was it good
Benz"
Ben looked at Hen-"Was it, Hen
We made those reorganizers buy Vi
out at five hundred thou. Good-what
Hen?"
Cow tracks for mine," sighed Hen.
First thing Hen says was: Lets
beat it to the old town back In lows
and show 'em we got the money We
climbed into a Pullman at Los anc
Hen gives the niger ten dollars tt
buy a paper. Keep the change, Niger
SAYS Hen, we're going back to see the
old town."
Wiley smiled. I'm glad you did 81
we'll" He sighed, stilling resentmen
against fortune. He. too, had swunt
the circle of the west and was back t.
the old town. And oh, what the Nc
Fetridge half-million would have done
il he had found 1t! But they were
right. Wiley would have seen only stars
In the cow tracks-he never saw any
thing but stars, some way or other
But he smiled cordially: IT'S great
@ho tom r.