Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-03-16

He ran upstairs and donned . rough
corduroy Jacket and high leather leg
igings. We're going to climb tho hill
today, Chum," he announced, land no
more moccasins need apply"
In the lower hall. however, he sud
denly stopped stock-still. "The slip Of
paper that was IN the china dog!" he
exclaimed. what . chump am not
to have thought Of I'll" He found it
in it, pigeouhole and, kneeling down
before the safe. tried the numbers
carefully. first right, then left: IT,
2s-o4-o. The heavy door opened
Il was right" he exulted. Its the
plate" He drew It out, piece by piece.
Each was bagged in dark-red Canton
flannel. He broke the tape Of one bag
and exposed . great silver pitcher,
,tarnished purple-blue like ravens
wing-then q tea-service. Each piece.
large and small, was marked with the
greyhound rampant and" the motto.
"And to think" he said, that my
great,great-grandfath buried you
with his own hands under the stables
when Tarleton's raiders swept the val
ley before the surrender at Yorktown!
Only wait till Aunt Daphne gets you
polished up, and on the sideboard!
You're the one thing the place has
needed"
- . .
With the dog for comrade he ira
versed the garden and plunged across
the valley below, humming a. he went.
The place was painless and over
grown with paw.paw bushes and sassa-
frss. Great trees stood 20 thickly
In places as to make q twilight and the
SUMMER spots were masses Of pink
laurel, poison-ivy. flaming purple rho
dodendron and wine-red tendrils Of in
terbraided briers. This was the for
est land Of whose possibilities he had
thought. In the heart of the woods he
came upon . great limb that had been
wrenched OF by storm. The broken
wood was Of deep rich brown, shading
to black. He broke of his song, snap
ped twig and smelled it. Its sharp
acrid odor was unmistakable. He sud
denly remembered the walnut tree at
Rosewood and what Shirley had said:
II know q girl who had two in her
yard. and she went to Europe on
them"
He looked about him; as far as he
could see the trees reared, hardy and
perfect, untouched for q generation.
He selected one. of-medium size and
pulling . creeper. measured its cir
conference and gazing this measure
with his eye, made q penciled calcula-
ton on tho back Of an envelope.
Great Scott!". he said jubilsntly to
the dog: that would cut enough to
wainscot the Damory Court library
and build twenty sideboards!"
He sat down ON . messed boulder.
breathless, his eyes sparkling. He had
thought himself almost beggar, and
here in his hand was q small fortune!
Talk about engagement rings!" hs
muttered. why, . dozen Of these
ought to buy . whole tiara!"
At length he rose and climbed on.
presently turning ct . right-angle to
bisect the strip to it, boundary before
AZ paused to rest. I'm no timber
cruiser" he said to himself as he
wiped his brow. ''but calculate there
are all Of three hundred trees big
enough to cut. Why, suppose they are
worth on an average only a hundred
apiece. That would make-Good
,lord!" he muttered, "ard rye been
incoming about poverty"
The growth was smaller and sparser
now and before long he came, on the
hills very crest. to the edge of .
ragged clearing. It held squalid set
Element, perhaps score Of dirt'daubed
cabins little better than novels, some
iof them mere mud-walled lean-tos.
with sod roofs and window-panes OF
fiour.sacking. Fences and outhouses
there was none. Uttered paths ram
bled aimlessly hither and thither from
chip.strewn yards to starved patches
OF corn, under-cultivated and blighted.
Over the whole place hung an indie
scribable atmosphere of disconsolate
filth, Of unredeemed sQualor and vile
ness.
with one hand on tho dogs collar.
hushing him to silence. Valiant un-
seen, looked at the wretched place
with SILVER. He had glimpsed many
wretched purlieus in the slums OF
great cities, but this. in the open sun
light, with the clean woods about II
and the sweet clear blue above. stood
out with an unreneved holiness ana
contrast that was doubly sinister and
forbidding. He knew instantly that
the tawdry corner was the community
known az Helrs-Half.Acre, the place
to which Shirley had made her night
ride to rescue Hickey Snyder.
A quick glad realization Of her cour'
age rushed through him. On its heels
came feeling Of shame that . spot
like this could exist. a, foul blot on
such q landscape. It was on his own
land! Its denizens held place oy
squatter sovereignty, but he was
nevertheless, their landlord. Inc
thought bred q new sense Of response
bility. Something should be done for
them, too.
AZ he gszed, an uproar in cabin
reached a climax. A red.bearded ns-
ure in nondescript garments shot nom
the door and collapsed in heap IN
the dirt. He got up with 2 dreadful
joath--a jug thrown at hin grazing
Ihis temple a. he did so-and shaking
his list behind htn, staggered into
nearby laan.to