The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-01-16
THE EVENING STORY
Her Father and His Father.
DIV Annie Hinrichsen.l

1
By Annie Hinrichsen.)
Ralph Wilde's small, stubby fists had
vanquished the other boy. Ralph turned
from his wrathful but proud contem-
plation of the fleeing lad. Marjorie
admiration.
emies,'' he said determinedly, 80 of
course you and 1 can't be friends. I
thrashed Jim because he was teasing
you and you are a little girl. But I
shall not speak to you again.
A few weeks later Marjorie found
Ralph lying beneath a tree from which
he had fallen. His face was cut and
bleeding She washed away the blood
and with strips from her apron bound
his wounds.
your father is my fathers foe" she
said emphatically, 80 you and I can't
boys cuts and, besides. you whipped
Jim for teasing me. You and I shall
not speak to each other again
The. cause of the quarrel between
John Wilde and George Gray was not
known to their neighbors. For years
the two men had been warm friends
and both had been friends Of Senator
Martin, a politician of statewide fame.
Wilde and Gray owned farms which
Joined, and across the road was the
beautiful estate OF the famous politi-
clan. The disagreement had occurred
shortly after the senator's death.
A few days after the quarrel John
Wilde erected a high board fence. 1t
was built few feet from the fence
separating the two farms and it fol-
lowed the division fence its entire
LENGTH George Gray Immediately built
a fence the counterpart of Wilde's.
Between these fences was a narrow
strip of land bisected by the wire fence
which had marked the division of the
farms. AS the years went by the strip
became overgrown with grass and
weeds and the wire fence fell to the
ground.
A short time before his death Senator
Martin had sold his land to the state
to be used as the site of a hospital.
But the hospital had not been built
and after the senator's death the house
stood vacant and deserted.
miss Gray" said Ralph Wilde, "you
and I are not friends and never can be-
But I have a piece Of information
which I wish to give you. You and I
live in the same county. I am here
as a member of the legislature. Your
are the representative of a metropolitan
paper. I am chairman of the commit
tee on appropriations. This committee
has decided to report favorably on the
bill to erect a hospital on the old Sen
ator Martin place, a site which the
state has owned for twenty years If !
to your paper Immediately you will
have sent in the news before any of
the other correspondents have heard |
it,"
you are showing me a great kind
ness Marjorie answered coldly. "On |
account of the facts that the Martin |
place is in my county and the chairman
Of the committee on appropriations is
the member from my county, / should |
be dismissed If the paper
is not the first to have this
For the sake of my paper
4 man whom I can never consider a
friend.''
One evening Marjorie Gray met
Ralph Wilde in the hotel lobby. 1--WE
are not friends and never shall be-"
she said "a short time ago you
showed me a great kindness. I can
-epay it. You desire the passage of the
hospital bill. The vote on it will be
,ery close. You have barely enough
pledges to pass it. Hugh Smith has
oribed James Crumbie to vote against
t. and his vote will defeat it. To-
rom the state house to the hotel. I
overheard all they said. Crumbie is
% receive thousand dollars for break
ng his word to you and voting against
he BILL
well, you certainly have helped me-"
calculated Wilde. "Our county is deter
mined to have the new hospital. If do
lot secure the passage of the bill my con-
tituents will retire to private life.
Crumbie's vote would pass or defeat the
ill. He promised me to support it and
hen sold his vote to Smith When he
,nows that some one overheard the con-
-ersation in which he agreed to accept a ,
tribe he will not dare to vote against the
ILL.,"
Soon after the hospital bill had been
assed by the General Assembly a party
f legislators and newspaper correspond
nts visited the old home of Senator Mar
IN, the site of the proposed hospital. |
is belongings had remained undisturbed. | .
Marjorie stood by the window of the
brary In her hand she held a worn old
olume. Ralph Wilde joined her.
-'It is the book the senator always kept
n his desk" he said. ct saw it often {
7hen I was a child"
'.It is his diary. Here is an entry made z
he day before his death. He writes of
he sale of the property to the state and 6
e mentions our fathers. I have prom :
sed both Wilde and Gray that when the
oSpitaI is built a new road shall be run =,
trough their farms and the state will pay
large sum for the land 1 had to prom {
se both, but neither knows, as yet, of
~ promise to the other. 1 shall see to e
that the state buys a wide strip from | (
ach and runs the road between their
arms. Must tell the boys this before they q
earn that have promised each the same i