Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-03-03
Copyright. 1919. BY Frank I. Packard.

Copyright 1919.
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CHAPTER XII.
knettins the Strings.
1T is an old saying that some have
greatness thrust upon them True
Of men, It Il, in one instance at
least, true Of places. Medley.
from an unheard Of, modest, innocuous
and unassuming little hamlet, leaped
in fash into the focus Of the worlds
eyes.
In huge headlines tho papers In ev-
cry city Of every state carried 1t on
their front pages, and while the first
astounding dispatch from the metro
politan newspaper man was being cop
led by leading dailies everywhere there
came on top Of It, clinching its veracity
beyond possibility Of doubt, the news
that Robert Thornton, tho well known
Chicago mulhmillionaire, had given
$4,000 to the cause
A man, much less q multimillionaire,
doesn't give $4,000 for q bubble, so
the managing editors Of the leading
dailies rushed for their star reporters
and the star reporters rushed for
Needley-and tho red haired, sorrow
full faced man In tho Medley station
grew haggard, tottered on the verge Of
collapse and, between the sheaves Of
fiimsy that the reporters fought for the
opportunity of pushing at him, wired
desperately for relief.
Medley awoke and came to Hfe-as
from the dead. There were hustle. &C
tivity and suppressed and unsuppress-
ed excitement on every hand. The
Waldorf hotel once moro opened its
doors; the Congress hotel was already
full.
The reporters interviewed everybody
with but one exception-the Patriarch.
They interviewed Madison, and
Madison talked to them gravely. quiet
IL, q little self deprecatingly. somewhat
abashed at the thought Of personal ex.
ploitage.
They interviewed Thornton, and
Thornton, too, talked to them, but the
very presence Of Mrs. Thornton was
weightier far than words.
They interviewed the Holmeses, and
they interviewed Medley, individually
and collectively, and they interviewed
Helena, but they did not interview the
Patriarch. Here Helena barred their
way. They were free to enter the cot
tage. to copy the names. the record of
gifts inscribed in tho book-already
long list, for Medley had required no
other incentive to give than the exam
pie that had been ret, but that was all.
Quietly, with demurs simplicity. Hell
ena, prompted BY Madison. like q
priestess who guards some holy inner
shrine told them that sensational noto-
riety had no place there-and the noto-
riety for that very cause became the
greater. Not that they were denied
sight Of the Patriarch's venerable and
sanity form-they were permitted to
catch glimpses of him on the beach, on
the lawn, walking with bowed head In
meditation, figure whose simple
majesty inspired words and columns
Of glowing tribute, but from personal
contact Helena and the Hopper. al
ways In attendance. warded them on,
retreating always to the privacy Of the
cottage and Its inner rooms.
All this had taken days. and now on
the nth day there came to Medley tho
vanguard Of those who sought this new
healing power-just few Of them,
two or three. like far, outdung Skin.
m.shers ev.denc:ns tho presence Of the
army corps to follow. With the ~
porters, as sfar as Madison was con-
cerned, 1t was simple enough. He had
but to let them go their way. permit
them to revel In the stories that were
on every tongue. to let them view with
their own eyes facts, while he. modest
~ and dih1dently, full Of quiet earnest
ness. effaced himself. never thrusting
himself forward. talking to them only
when they pressed him.
But the handling, Of the sufferers
who would flock TO Medley I: response
to a newspaper publicity and indorse-
ment that had been beyond his widest
dreams was quite another matter.
MdulSOH SlcWcu luC AAok
brought In from the station on cot
beds to the Waldorf hotel-snd retired
70 his room in tho Congress to wrestle
with the niceties and minutiae Of the
problem.
"You see," said Madison to the tip Of
his cigar as he tilted back his chair
and extended his legs full on the table
edge-"you eco. I believe in faith. al
right, and that's no josh. But the
trouble with faith Is that IT'S about the
scarcest article on earth, and ! haven't
got any moro Floppers to lead the
way
Madison adroitly sent the cigar ash
through the window with tap OF bis
forefnger on the body Of the cigar;
then he frowned and for a long time
sat musingly silent. Finally he spoke
again, this time addressing the toes OF
his boots: with the house sold out
for the season. the box Office doing It.
self proud and the audience crazy over
the first two acts. how about act
--h'm-how about act 3? A kind Of
delicate proposition, the staging OF
act 8, and it's time for the curtain
TO go up; can hear 'em stamping out
front now. can't pull of any moro
orgies like last Monday afternoon. even
No. 4 ~ mol vySe, rrNk ~