The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1916-11-23
The Clash at the Crossroads of
the Bridge

"The World for Sale" Sir Gilbert
Parker's new book (Harpers, $l.35
metz tells the story of lngolby, who
goes into the Canadian Northwest and
consolidates three railroads with head
quarters at two towns on opposite
sides of the river, between which there
is a feud, but which he seeks to weld
into one Manitou is made up of nom
progressive French Canadians, for the
most part; Lebanon is typically new
and wideawake Western town. Felix
Marchand, dissolute heir to his fathers
riches, is the evil genius of the rough
element in Manitou, which is held in
check only by a beloved Catholic
priest. Ingolby, to learn the details
of Marchand's plot to bring about
strike in the Manitou mills and then
blow up the bridge Ingolby had built
between the two towns, goes in dis
guise to the Manitou saloon where
Harchand's followers gather. He is
assaulted and rendered blind, but
while the industrial leader is put out
Of the game, the latter goes on. The
mayor of Lebanon, knowing that an
Orangeman's funeral will be the sig
nal for rioting by the Manitou con-
tingent, swears in as chief constable
Gabriel Druse, the Ry of Rys (ruler of
all gypsies), whose quiet life in Mani
tou has been something of mystery,
but who really has withdrawn from
his people in order that his daughter
Fleda may grow up a Gorgio and not
a Romany. A natural leader and a
giant in stature, Ingolby's friends, and
particularly Jowett, see in Druse a
possible savior of the two towns. The
following tells the story of his part
and that of Monseigneur Lourde in
dealing with the clash when the
Orangemen's funeral procession and
a parade of the Manitou strikers meet
at the bridge.
~ HE discord and jangle between
the two bands was the first |
collision of this fateful day |
While yet there was a peace |
between the two professions, the
bands broke into furious contest. 1t /
was then that, through the long fun
eral line, men with hard set faces
came closer up together, and forty, de-
taching themselves from the well kept
line of marching lodge men, closed up
around the horses and the hearse,
making a solid thanking force.
At stated intervals, also, outside the
lodge men in the lines, were special
constables, many of whom had been
the stage drivers, hunters, cattle men,
prospectors and pioneers of the early
days. Most of them had come of good
religious stock-Presbyteria Bap-
fists, Methodists, Unitarians; and
though they had little piety, and had {
never been able to regain the religious
customs and habits of their childhood,
they "stood for the thing the old folks
stand for" They were in a mood ]
which would tear cotton, as the say
ing was. There was not one of them I
but expected that broken heads and
oloodshed would be the order of the ]
lay, and they were stonily, fearlessly I
for the worst.
Since the appearance of Gabriel i
Druse on the scene, the feeling had
grown that luck would be with them. s
When he started at the head of the
,ortege, they could scarce forbear to
,heer. Such a champion in appear f
ance had never been seen in the West. {
AS they approached the crossroads g
# the bridge, his voice, clear and c
onorous, could be heard commanding v
he Orange band to cease playing. S
When the head of the funeral pro- 3
ession was opposite the bridge-the
'and, the hearse, the bodyguard of the t
Druse stood aside and t
ook his place at the point where the q
ines of the two professions would in t
ersect. S
1t was at this moment that the col I
ision came. There were only about o
ixty feet of space between the two n
PROFESSIONS, when a voice rang out in