The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1915-12-09
The
Portals of
Dreams
CHAPTER XIV.
Two Strong Men.

SssNV Nv
Two Strong Men.
9~side Judge Garvin's store we came
upon a group Of slovenly loungers.
Had my mind been free enough Of its
own troubled thoughts to spare a rem
nant Of interest, I should have found
this new and strange scheme of things
sngrossing. I was in q scrap of Amer.
lea which the onrushing tide Of tho
worlds advancement had left strand.
Cd and forgotten. Here a people Of IN.
mixed British stock lived primitive
lives. tough feudal wars, and shrined
every virtue high except regard for
human life.
These four narrow walls in part cpl
tomized that life. The shelves back
Of the counters displayed what things
they held saskatchewan crockery,
coarse calicoes, canned goods, barrels
Of brown sugar, brogans, stick candy
and ammunition.
About q small stove loafed some
eight or ten men and several hound
dogs" The shoulders Of these men
slouched; their hands were chapped
and coarse, their clothes muddied:
but when they walk 1t was with some
thing Of the catamount's softness, and
their eyes were alert.
Behind the counter stood a man Of
fifty. I knew, without waiting for
Weighborne's greeting, that this must
be Garvin. There was something pro-
nounced, yet hard to define. which
gave him the outstanding prominence
Of . master among minions.
He vas a large man and inclined
to stoutness. His hair and mustache
we're sandy, and his f1orid face was
marked with a purplish tracery Of
veins in which the blood appeared to
bank and stand currentless. His neck
was grossly heavy and bovine, but his
forehead was broad and his eyes dis
armingly frank and blue. His mouth,
too, fell into the kindly lines of a per-
petual smile.
His clothing was rough and his
neck collarless, but one forgot this
and noted only the suavity Of his bear
ing and the ingratiating quality of his
voice.
Such was the man who should have
gone long ago to death or i1nprlson-
ment for the orders he had issued
to his assasins.
Judge Garvin," said my compan-
ion, my names Weighborne. l met
you once in the court house. You
probably don't remember me"
The gigantic reprobate smiled af-
fably.
"Sure l remember you" he affirmed.
II mighty seldom forget Il man" He
anne out from his place of office be-
hind the counter and proffered his
hand. 1t was not a calloused hand
like those of his henchmen.
l had leisure to glance about the
Cured. They had been stolidly silent,
gazing at us with uncOncealed curl.
osity.
When Weighborne introduced him
self there was no overt display of in
terest, and yet, unless l was allowing
my imagination to run away with me,
! sensed from that moment forward
that the lazy Incidence of the atmos-
phere was electrified. The men
lounged about in unchanged attitudes,
yet each of them was carefully ap.
praising us.
II reckon you gentlemen came up
to look over this here coal and timber
p%rojeck?" Garvin's voice seemed to
hold only a politely simulated interest
in u affairs.
Weighborne nodded.
do you think, judge, as a man in
good position to gage the sentiment
of the people, that we shall have their
sympathy in our efforts?"
l studied Garvin's face closely, bu:
II there was a spark of interest in his
eyes l could not detect it. He smiled
and shook his head non-committally.
well, now, as to that" he replied,
j%udicially, Il couldn't hardly say"
1--WE want to develop the coal and
timber interests of the section" sum.
married Weighborne briefly. 1T will
mean railroad facilities, better schools
and fuller enforcement of the law"
Garvin nodded in a fashion Of re-
served approval. There was no be-
trayed hint of his perfect understand
ing that it meant other things as we'll:
an end of "Garvinism," a period to his
baronial powers; the imminent dan
ger which lurked for him in courts no
longer afraid to try, and witnesses no
longer terrified into perjury.
THAT sounds purity promisin'," he
agreed. 1T sounds purity good"
"Then why would the people not
co-operate?"
Garvin gave the question deliberate
consideration.
"Well, now" he finally said, "that
amt such an easy question to answer
inst right off. THE people ~hereabOuts