The Washington herald., 1913-08-31

| Mich, l understand John won't LEI
the family have cent of Aurelie:
/ money"
Uncle Mich winked wisely. "Knute
and | sneak 'em in-underclothes for
the baby and socks and truck. Johns
too busy with his soul and plannin' to
drive Tanners men off the creek sur
vey to think about Aurelie's show
money now. Devils money, John says.
But it buys things for the baby, Mr..
| Curran. Just like my old bootleg
money, somehow. But these here holi-
ness people that got hold of John,
they don't think O that
Johns a fool, Uncle Mich. If the
| county decides to divert the creek down
the Pocket all you squatters will have
to get out or be flooded"
Not John. He says the God O. Bat
ties done told him to fight. Mr.. Cur
ran, there'll done be trouble sometime
over that"
I'm afraid So" Wiley sighed. The
deal for the turning of Sinsinawa
Creek back from the uplands above the
town to its ancient channel which led
! to the bottoms above Tanners quarry,
had gone quietly through. Everybody
favored it, except the outlying farm
ers who grumbled that it was another
piece of favoritism, or maybe worse.
Tanners boards" however, were an
always present grievance. The only
item of interest the News found in
the proceedings was that Harlan Van
Hart, esq, son OF Judge Van Hart, tile
latest addition to the Winnetka County
bar, made his first public appearance
4. l..
pany to argue for the ordinance. Wiley
spread himself in the most approved
rural journalistic fashion on Harlan's
effort, but he siPhed-and sent the clip
ping 10 Arne Vance.
And not even young Attorney Van
Hart, toiling away that summer in the
little side room of the firm OF DON
ley & Van Hart-names reversed, you
notice-getting up his briefs and ci-
tatiOns, knew that in his little side
room in the bank Old Thad Tanner
chuckled and roared. The News act
ually commencing something that he
had done But that fool editor didn't
really think Van Harris boy had any
thing to do with it? He took the paper
to his son-in-law. Cal Rice. We gotta
get him on the ticket next fall, if he
can hold the News and these sorehead
cusses who've started that Progressive
League over in Earlville. Yes, sir,
Gala mighty clever boy, and a good
boy-like his father-steady and safe.
The party needs more young men like
that-and maybe il would be Just as
well to put old Jelly-belly Jewett off
the ticket this year and run Harlan
for district attorney.
Old Thad joked about this to Judge
Van Hart the next day; and the judge
frowned. He deprecated politics But
when he went in the bank Cal Rice
said something about 1t. Then the
judge mildly and worriedly told his
wife. Her eye frightened. Harlan
should have a career in the State
certainly. But it was absurd to talk
of it his first year out of school. Bu,
the next day Old Thad stopped her
surrey to speak OF it when she was
shopping about the Square. He had d
joking and yet deferential patronizing
for the Van HartS that always made
the good lady detest him-as M / as
one may the richest man in the COun-
ty-and the most influential
Meanwhile Harlan plugged away. He
seemed more reserved, but still hi:
genial self. He picnicked with the
girls of his set along the river; The
High Street young people wandered ir
and out of his mothers home at in
formal summer dances, and played ten
mis- on the lawns, and ate ice cream
OF evenings, and f1irted on the veranda
much as they had done since he was
sixteen. Nothing was changed, only
he was now a man at a mans work.
Much like his father, people said.
From his Office window Harlan could
see the judge drive in town behind
Old Dutch, tie him to the rail and walk
slowly under the naples to the court
house steps, speaking gently to every
one, bowling with old-time courtesy TO
the women, patting the dogs-a fine,
upright, beloved figure of man. That
was what he should come to be, doubt
less, a sturdy, unfearing, clear-minded
American of the best people.
And once as he watched the court
room windows with the June sweetness
straying in, he thought of that even
ing when John Lindstrom's hoarse and
despairing voice cursed his father and
the law. He felt that even now the
hurt OF it was on his fathers mind. a
hurt growing with what the town was
slowly coming to think OF Lindstrom.
He had defed society, cut himself off,
a religious fanatic, in his patch of corn
land in the Pocket. Only last week,
a shotgun under his crippled arm, the
gaunt quarry worker had come upon
the surveyors on his land running the
line for the diversion dam and forbade
them further entry. Harlan remem-
bered that he had heard Marryat, the
good-natured Sheriff, telling his father
that he would have to drive out and
have a little friendly talk with John.
The somber quarryman was a bit
off" maybe. Taken his children out
of school, forbade them to mix with
the town boys and all that. The judge
had not answered. Harlan knew in his
heart there was grief and an outrage
he would not reveal. People had whis-
pered that John had become an outlaw
from the day Judge Van Hart put the
taint of the Jail on him.
Then to Harlan's mind the thought
of Lindstrom brought the memory oil
another SUMMERTIME long quiet even
ings when he had met Aurelie in the
hills. 1t seemed that he must have
been desperately sorry for her to love
her so. That was it-her pathos and
her grace and prettiness and all the
magic of the summer. Now he heard
her discussed about the verandas by
the nice girls he knew-her notoriety
the laughable idea of her going on
the stage! And backed financially by