Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-06

QEMT from thorns and figs from thistes by the
SWISSN grace of pull, there is hundredth prize
S&&1tS winner in whom ambition is obsession,
who slashes his way to the front by
sheer calculating ruthlessness This the story of the
hundredth man.
At twenty-four Waller Harding, fresh from college,
free-hearted generous and everybodys friend butted
into the Express Recorder staff cub reporter At
twenty-seveu he had smashed his way to the star"
mans desk as an enthusiast to whom Nbeat" was
beatitude, and for whom the human tragedy struck
no note higher than that which may be sounded upon
the scale of news values,-@A mighty good all round
newspaper man, in the growing comment of Northrup,
the managing editor; and this estimate rather
heightened than essened in Northrup view by the city
editors qualifying. EYES, and he is coldblooded
fish, The office is always saying OF him that he'd make
copy out of his grandmother
9Of course he would: it's his business to make copy"
Northrup grunted And then pitiless Lachesis spun
her fatal thread for Waller Harding @If you
spare him for few days, Garvin I'm going to send
him south get tobaccowar story. He's the fellow
to put the punch into it. What do you say?'
WHAT the city editor said is negligible to us; but
w the direct result was that two mornings later
Harding turned out of through-express Pullman at
a country junction in Western Tennessee and made
his way the platform in drilling rain to the
dingy branch train that to forward him to the
seat Of war at Gholsonv1lle.
From his secure position at the summit of the
when the managing editor had called him in to give
him the distant assignment. There was girl in
college town within easy reach of Chicago, and he had
meant to ask for short leave covering club dinner
and college play with the girl. But Northrup had
beaten him to it; heEce the actual day of the pre-
figured dinner and play, he found himself thousand
miles to the bad, disgruntled, disconnected and mo-
rosely resolving to rush the unwecome assignment to
the limit to the end that he might the get back
to civilization.
oJ,ococ had rYroad
ton to fight the monopolistc buying trust. Certain
small croppers too poor to hold their product and
too tmid to break with the only buyer they had
dealt WITH had refused to join the association Hence
there coercion,-barn burnings and bed chop
pings.
With the banal facts before him, Harding fell to
studying his car companions. They were country
folk with single exception, handsome young fellow
in soft wool hat and enveoping rain coat who sat
nearly opposite. Harding classified the type-clean-
cut hghbred features, clear coloress skn thnhpped
sensitive mouth, and moody eyes with hint of hot
passions in them. The reporter named his snapshot
with the satisfaction of artist who has found the true
color Tone Southern chivalry-fre-eater brand
younger generation-one of the kind you read about,
and he going elaborate when the train stopped
at country crossroad and group of hill farmers,
herded by big. red-faced with Sherifs star con-
spicuously displayed, entered the smoking car.
At the resumption of the jogging progress the big
skewed himself in the seat next to Hardings and
made talk
Nashville lawyer headed up for Jacksonville, amt
your
Harding smiled. 4Not so you could notice it."
Excuse me-" said the big with all these
here terructions goin on might nigh every stranger
we meet up with looks like lawyer to u.s.
aYou mean the tobacco WARP"
The Sheriff's reply not strictly categorical.
4Hells poppin' with the grand jury settn' and
court in session. Ghosonvile's plumb full o hill
blies and might nigh every night the riders put the
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