Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-10-03
Evening Story
HER FATHER AND HIS FATHER.
By Annie Hinrichsen.
copyright, 1918, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.)

Ralph Wilde's small, stubby nsts
had vanouished the other boy. Ralph
turned from his wrathful but proud
condensation of the fleeing lad.
Marjorie Gray's big eyes were gazing
at him with admiration.
"Your father and my father are
enemies" he said determinedly, so
of course you and can't be friends.
I thrashed Jim because he was teas
ing you and you are a little girl. But
| shall not speak to you again"
A few weeks later Marjorie found
Ralph lying beneath 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, $50 you and |
can't be friends. I'd have dressed
any hurt 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
politician. The disagreement had oc-
Cured shortly after the senator's
death.
A few days after the quarrel John
Wilde erected high board fence. 1t
was built a few feet from the fence
separating the two farms and it fol
lowed the division fence its entire
length. George Gray Immediately built
fence the counterpart of Wilde's. Be-
tween these fences was narrow strip
of land bisected by the wire fence
which had marked the division of the
farms. AS the years went by the strin
became overgrOwn with grass and
weeds and the wire fence fell to the
ground.
A short time before his death Sen
ator Martin had sold his land to the
state to be used as the site of a hos
pital. 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 / are not friends and never
can be. But | have piece of infor-
nation which l wish to give you. You
and live in the same county. | am
here as a member Of the legislature.
You are the representative of met
ropolitan paper. l am chairman OF
the committee on appropriations.
This committee has decided to report
favorably on the bill to erect a hos
pital on the old Senator Martin place,
a site which the state has owned for
twenty years If you wire the action
of our committee to your paper I'M
mediately you will have sent in the
news before any of the other cores
pondents nave heard it,
You are showing me a great kind
nessF Marjorie answered coldly. ION
account of the facts that the Martin
place Is in my county and the chair
man of the committee on appropria-
tons is the member from my county, |
| should probably be dismissed If the
paper l represent is not the first to
have this information. For the sake
o. my paper am compelled to accept
a favor from man whom can never
consider friend"
One evening Marjorie Gray met
Ralph Wilde in the hotel lobby,
I'VE are not friends and never shall
be- she said. "A short time ago you
showed me a great kindness. can
repay it. You desire the passage of
the hospital BILL The vote on 1t will
he very close. You have barely |
enough pledges to pass it. Hugh
"a. ;tu has brlbed James Crumbie to
vote against it, and his vote will de-
feat it, Tonight l walked behind !
these men from. the state house to |
the hotel | overheard all they said !
Crumbie is to receive thousand dol |
lars for breaking his word to you and
voting against the bill
We'll, you certainly have helped |
me-" calculated Wilde. Our county Is
determined to have the new hospital
If | do not secure the passage of the
bill my constituents will retire me to
private life Crumbie's vote would |
pass or defeat the bill He promised |
me to support it and then sold his vote |
to Smith. When he knows that some |
one overheard the conversation in |
which he agreed to accept bride he |
will not dare to vote against the bill"
Soon after the hospital bill had |
been passed by the general assembly !
q p0A VI ACSAoAotoAS oAN WoPoPO1
visited the old home
of Senator Martin, the site of the pro.
posed hospital.
The senator had had no relatives
and his belongings had remained un-
disturbed.
Marjorie stood by the window of
the library. In her hand she held
worn old volume. Ralph Wilde Joined
her.
1T is the book the senator always
kept on his DESK" he said. 81 saw
it often when was a child"
1T is his diary. Here is an entry
made the day before his death. He
writes Of the sale of the property to
the state and he mentions our fathers.
i have promised both Wilde and Gray
that when the hospital is built new
road shall be run through their farms
and the state will pay large sum for
the land. had to promise both, but
neither knows, as yet, of my promise
to the other. shall see to it that the
state buys wide strip from each and
runs the road between their farms
Must tell the boys this before they
learn that I have promised each the