Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-05-13

on. a crawling speck at last. the
wrapped figure in the seat alone and
ing globe of gray. He thought 1t might
be his friend. Hemminger. going back
to his home people. He would tell them
the news. He wondered how they would
receive it; IL they would not be sad
de1ed? They would open their weekly
paper. the damp and soggy little sheet
as it came from its old press. and read
mis- announcement. The talk would go
about-some nameless blight that had
struck down their champion, and only
the infinite silence would answer. He
thought Of the farmers driving home.
ward from the rally that would not
take place. rough CARRIED. silent. in q
sort Of awe of Thad Tanner. the little
gray boss who was on top again. They
would guess at this much. But Cur
ran who. somehow. had appealed to
their own secret sentiment; who had
come clearing an obscure message. the
fighting good. the newer ideal of de-
lust Of the republic-he, who had
dreamed that put of their gray and
honest lives he might weave the COLI
ors of his own infinite possibilities
what would they think of him?
Tomorrow was the election. n by
night the great fight would be won.
They would all win. Delroy. the mill
the men Of the north in the brilliant
campaign. But he who had been OF
them. OF whom the home folk had been
proud as he voiced their conscience
against Outworn theories of wealth and
privilege. he had fallen. He thought OF
about the polls. his useless name on
the ballots-a man apart. branded with
a nameless stain. the eternal whisper
following him. Ges. he had found bot
tom after the resurge of his life. He
had risen to fall, Love had made the
and then defeated him.
From the high point he saw a yellow
beyond the shanties of the pocket
squatters. Up this trail h had romped
and grown. his child. his little girl,
laughing the way of her vulgar up
bringing, all unknown and uncared for.
And he-he might have done so much
who all his thriftless life had
needed the touch of a hand in his!
He tried to recall the first time he
had seen her-a dark-haired child in
a red dress going past his shop with
the barelegged Lindstrom boys. Then
a schoolgirl, slim. with sharp-eyed lit
tie Gallo tricks and poses; and then
the maid he had come to know. Moody
at times. and lonely; passionate still
with eagerness to live n be. And
thence on to his Misunderstanding her
way into his dreams. the bizarre ro-
nance in his obscure struggle, lifting
him by her kinship of feeling, of adj
venture. of follies and extravagances.
Oh. the way they had come unknow-
ing!-the two outcasts to their tri-
umph!
Then he bowed his head with hum
h1onaSS of thio nthor riron1o With all
her droll playing with him, her grate-
full fondness for him. he had been the
in heart. The wonder of it! That
always. his passion had been a shell
tering and protecting one-a father
hood. indeed. that defended her against
the towns tongues. that eXulted in her
And once again he looked off
to the a and his mystic impulse
came. He kissed his fingers to the dun
sky and whispered: Because you're
there. Aurelie-just because you're
there!"
At dark he went to the cabin. and
before a tiny fire sat long. A morrow
ing tomorrow. the long straight road.
He would have to go, he reasoned; he
was crushed. destroyed here. And then
a flame of logged courage swept Inn.
No. he would not go! He had done no
wrong. Fate had struck him down. but
he dCCOpI6u. E1O WOulU make Ills lSuI
losing fight, perhaps-with the in
finite cruelty of ostracism and the jeers
of misunderstanding; the mutter Of
nameless things that men whisper only
to their kind. always about him. But
he would stay; he would steel his soul
to it. with some sort of new patience
and pride in remuneration that none
could know. Unless it was best for her!
Then he would go, gladly the wanderer;
silent, crying down his fatherhood. his
lonely love for her. For she had best
not know he whispered-neyef. never!
What need of this. burden On her?
In the dark he CROPPED about this cir
Gle. and nothing could he find except
that what was for her. he would do.
slept. as he had not dreamed he could
sleep. 1 n a child's peace; OF as one who
had emptied his soul. beholding q flame
burn it out to purity. Once. in the
night. he awakened and found his lips
muttering: Thank God!" and then
Only. on this consciousness, there
seemed to come sounds. faint and far,
like the firing Of shot now and then.
When dawn came he arose, hungry
and stiffened with WEAKNESS and cold,
but with q cleansed hunger, a somber
resolve, a feeling of the need of men.
When he came out the low pressing
gray of the sky vas still on the hills.
He looked down and saw a farm wagon
on the far valley road. 1t came to him
that this was election day. and about
the polls the groups We're gathering.
But on the hush of the morning there
came again sounds that he could dimly
recall in his misunderstanding. Once
they were almost like a volley.
Now. On. his descent to town, he could
see black distant figures, men moving
out the road along the creek.
CHAPTER XIV 4
THE COMMUNAL LAW