davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-05-03

stand anything better than
Henry. Be patient"
While De Spain, standing close to
the lantern, deciphered the brief note,
Bull, wrapping his blanket about him
with the air of one whose responsible
tty is we'll ended. held out bis hands
toward the blazing stove De Spain
went over the words one by one, and
the letters again and again. 1t was.
after all their months Of ardent meet
ingS, the first written message he had
ever had from Nan. He famed an
grily at the news that she was pris-
Oner IN her own home. But there was
much to weigh in her etched words.
much to think about concerning her
feelings-not alone concerning his
own.
He dropped into his chair, and, OBJ
hviOus for d moment of his compan-
IONS presence stared into the fire.
When he started from his revery Bull
was asleep. De Spain picked him I'D,
carried him in his blanket over to a
cot, cut the wet rags off him, and.
rolling him. in a second blanket.
walked out into the barn and ordered
UP team and light wagon for Sleepy
Cat. The rain fell all night.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-05-03

MCAlpin put out uli1u1s,ahd7Jte ,..e-
tress signals. but Bull, watching the
brown stream. his eyes galvanized at
the sight, held fast to the handle and
made no sign to stop. Bull - thun-
dered the barn boss with an emphatic
word. That is Elpaso's bottle. What
are you dreaming Of, man? Mr.. de
Spain, you'll kill him. Don't ya see
he can't tell ye to stop?"
Bull, with the last pickering spark
of vitality still left within him. looked
steadily up and winked at De SPAIN
McAlpin, outraged, stamped out of
the room. Steadying the dipper in
both hands, Bull with an effort passed
one hand at the final moment prelimi-
nariIy over his mouth. and, raising
the bowl. emptied it. The poison cleo
trifed him into utterance. 81 seen
her" he declared, holding his chin
well down and in, and speaking in a
pardonably proud throat.
Good, Bull! ="
They've got things tied up for fair
over there" He spoke slowly and
DEOheuiy ueN CT got inside the
house till after supper. Toward night
l helped Pardaloe put up the stock
He let me into the kitchen after my
coaZing for a cup of coffee-he's an
ornery, cold-blooded guy, that Parda-
loe. Old Duke and Sassoon think the
sun rises and sets on the top of his
head-funny, amt it,"
De Spain made no comment.
whilst l vas drinking my coffee"
''Who gave it to you?'
cold Bunny, the Meg. Par1aloe
goes out to the bunj:housa: : ST, down
to my supper, alone, with bunny at
the stove. All Of sudden who comes
a-trippin' in from the front of the
house but Nan. l jumps up as
strong as l could, but [ was too cold
and stiff to jump up real strong. She
seen me, but didn't pay no attention.
[ dropped my spoon on the floor. It
didn't do no good, neither, so I pushed
a hot plate of ham and gravy off the
table. It hit the dog n he Jumped
like kingdom come. Old Bunny sails
into NE, Nan a-watchin', and while
Mex was piclsin' up and cleanin' I'D,
| sneaks over to the stove and winks
at Nan. Say you Oughter see her
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-05-03

look mad at me. She was hot, but
kept a-winkin', and I says to her kind
OF huskylike: Got any letters for
Calabasas tonight? Say, she looked
at me as if she'd bore holes into me,
but l stood right up and glared back
at the little girl. Come from there
this mornin',' says I, going back to-
night. Someone waiting there for
news
''By jung! Just as I got the words
out o my mouth, who comes a-stalk-
ing in but Gale Morgan The minute
he seen me, he lit on me to beat the
band-called me everything he could
Iay his tongue to, l let on I was
Trunk, but that didn't help. He Oh
1ered me off the premises. M the
worst of it was, Nan chimed right in
and began to scOld Bunny for lettin'
ne in-and leaves the room, quick
like. Bunny put it on PardalOe, and
she and Gale had it. an b. jing, Gale
put me 0ut-said he'd peT0er me. But
wait till / tell Y how she fooled him.
1t was rainin' like HI n it looked
as if [ was booked for a ride through
it and hadn't half drunk my second
cup of coffee at that. | starts for the
barn, when someone in the dark on
the porch grabs my arm, spins me
around like a top, throws a flasher up
into my face, and there was Nan.
Bull she says, I'm sorry. l don't
nj TO id n
nothing to eat; come this way quick.
''She took me down cellar from the
outside, under the kitchen. When
Gale goes out again she filings up the
| trapdOor, speaks to Mex, pulls all the
kitchen shades down, locks the doors.
and L sets down on this trapdOor steps
n eats a pTpin' hot supper; say /!
| Well, I reckon | drank a couple o.
! quarts of coffee. Bull she says, L
| never done you no harm, did I?
| Never says I. and I never done you
none, neither, Gid I? And hats
more. I never will do you nome Then
[ UD and told her. Tell him. =ays
! s., I can't ger hold of q horse. nor
| pen. nor piece of paper-I can't
leave the house but what l an
watched every minute. They Keep
| track Of me day and night. Tell him.
/ she says, L can protect myself; tn. Y
| think they'll break me-make ME do
what they want me tO-marry--but
| they can't break me. and I'll never do
i it-teII him that
| But says I, that amt the whole
/ case, Miss Nan. What he'll ask me.
| when he's borin' through me with his
! eyes like the way you're borin me
j through with yours. is: When will you
/ see him-when will he see you?
! 'She looked worrit for a mint.
1 Then she looks around, grabs up the
/ cover of an empty 'bacco box and a
! fork and begins a-wrfting inside" Bull
| with as much of a smile as he could
call into life from his broken nerves.
! opened up his blanket, drew carefully
from an inside coat pocket an oilskin
/ package, unwrapped from it the fat.
square top of a tin tobacco box, on
! which Nan had scratched a message
and handed it triumphantly to De
! Spain.
He read her words eagerly:
wait; don't have trouble. I can
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-05-03
CHAPTER XXI.
De Spain Worries,

They parted that evening under the
shadow of Music mountain, agreed to
meet in CalabaSas just as soon as Nan
could get away. She hoped, she told
him, to bring good news. De Spain
arranged his business to wait at Gala
basas for her, and was there, after
two days, doing little but waiting and
listening to McAlpin's stories about
the fire and surmises as to strange
men that lurked in and about the
place. But De Spain, knowing Jeffries
was making an Independent inveSti-
cation into the affair, gave no heed to
McAlpin's suspicious.
To get away from the barn boss, De
Spain took refuge in riding. The sea
son was drawing on toward winter.
and rain clouds drifting at intervals
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-05-03

disappearance TO enve1op the noun
tains and empty their moisture on the
desert. BY the time De Spain and Lee
fever reached the end of their long
ride a misty rain was drifting down
from the west. The two men had Just
ridden into the quaking asps when a
man coming out of the gap almost
rode into them. The intruders had
halted and were sufficiently hidden TIC
escape notice, had not Lefever's horse
indiscreetly coughed The man from
the gap refined up and called out. Lee
fever answered.
ITS Bull Page" declared De Spain.
after the exchange of a few WORKS.
calling to Bull at the same time 70
come over TO the shelter of The trees.
whats going on in m .. l.4llT
asked De Spain otter BuH til told
him that Gale had ,riven hi. nit. aid
he was headiI& for Calabasas.
You tell" retorted Page. Looks
to me Ii p old DUKES getting ready
TO die. Gale says he's going to draw
his will tor 'Tht. and don't want no.
body around--got old Judge Druel in
there"
De Spain pricked up his ears
whats that, DruelT' he demanded.
Bull repeated his declaration. Lefe-
yer broke into violent language at the
Sleepy Cat jurist's expense, and ended
by declaring that no will should be
drawn in the gap that night by Duke
Morgan or anybody else. unless he
and Bull were made Io~atees.
Beyond this no us could be
learned from Bull. Who was persuad-
ed without difficulty V Lpfever to
abandon tie idea 81 riulng to Calaba-
sas through he rain. and TO spend
the night Wi, him n tL1 neighbor-
hood, wherev, 'anc., the rain, and
the wind-whicn was rising-should
dictate
While the two were talking, De
Spain tried TO slip away, unobserved
by Lefever, on his errand. He failed
as he expected to, and after some IA
night.
do1"
Scott had already made up a tenta-
tive list. He named four-frst Far
rell Kennedy, who was in town, and
said nobody should go if he didn't;
Frank Elpaso, the Texan; the English
man, Tommy Meggeson; and Wick
wire, if he could be lOcated-any one
of them, Lefever knew, could give an
account of himself under all circum-
stances.
While Scott was getting his men to-
gether, De Spain, accompanied by Lee
fever, was riding toward Music noun
tain. Scott had urged on them but
one parting cautiOn-nOt to leave the
aspens until rain began falling. When
he spoke there was not a cloud In the
sky. Its going to rain tonight, just
the same" predicted Scott. Don't
leave the trees till it gets going. Those
gap scouts will get under cover and
be hunting for a drink the minute it
gets cold-I know them. You can ride
right over their toes, If you'll be pa
tent"
The sun set across the range in q
drift of grayish-black, low-lying
clouds. which seemed only to await its
niliar abuse, rode off alone, fortified
~ every possible suggestion at the
hands of man to whom the slightest
arecaution war us,....lly ike
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-05-03

hear the stri0es or a rUnrIrii= no. -
Again the two dashed ahead The
chase was bootless. Whoever rode
before them easily eluded pursuit.
Undeterred by his failure to over
take the fugitive, De Spain rode rap
idly back to town to look for other
clews. Nothing further was found to
throw light on the message or mes
senger. No one had been found any
where il town from Morgan's gap
whoever had taken a chance in de-
tivering the message had escaped IN
detected.
Even after the search had been
abandoned the significance of the in
cfdent remained to be weighed. De
Spain was much upset. A conference
with Scott, whose Judgment in any
affair was marked by good sense. and
with Lefever. who, like a woman,
reached by intuition a conclusion at
which Scott or De Spain arrived by
process Of thought, only revealed the
fact that all three, as Lefever con-
fessed, were nOnplused.
ITS one of two things" declared
Lefever, whose eyes were never dulled
by late hours. Either they've sent
this to lure you into the gap and get
you, or else-and that's a great big
or else'-she needs you. Henry. did
that message mean the way it was
WOrded-sound like Nan Morgan?"
De Spain could hardly answer. sit
did, and it didn't" he said finally
But" his companions saw during
the pause by which his lips expressed
the resolve he had finally reached
that he was not likely to be truned
from 1T am going to act just as
If the word came from Nan and she
does need me-"
More than one scheme for getting
quickly into touch with Nan was pro-
posed and rejected within the next
fen minutes. And when Leftover. after
comforting with Scott, put up to De
Spain a proposal that the three should
ride into the gap together and de-
mand Nan at the hands of Duke Nor
gan, De Spain had reached another
conclusion.
81 know you are willing to take
more than your share, John, of any
game I play. In the first place, it
isn't right to take you and Bob in
where | am going on my own personal
affair. And | know Nan wouldn't en-
joy the prospect of an aIl-around fight
on iCbt &c
to that girl. I've got her feelings to
think about as well as my own. I've
decided what to do, John. I'm going
in alone"
you're going in alOner'
"Eonight. Now, I'll tell you what
I'd like you to do if you want to: ride
with me and wait till morning, out
side Ell Captain. II you don't hear
from me by ten o'clock, ride back to
Calabasas and notify Jeffries to look
for a new manager"
son the contrary, if we don't hear
from you by ten o'clock, Henry, we
will blaze our way in and drag out
your body" Leftover put up his hand
to cut off any rejOinder Don't dis
cuss it. What happens after ten
O'Clock tomorrow morning, if we don't
hear from you before that, can't pos
sibly be of interest to you or make
any difference" He paused, but De
Spain saw that he was not done.
When he resumed, he spoke in a tone
different from that which De Spain
usually associated with him. Henry.
you've pulled a good many rough
games in this country. No man knows
better than ] that You never pulled
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-05-03

see it through as best 1 can, and take
what comes without whining. My
mind is made up, ana, strange as ii
may sound to you, l feel that I am
coming back. Not but what / know
it's due me, John. Not but what ]
expect to get it sometime. And may
be I'm wrong now; but I don't feel
as it's coming till I've given all the
protection to that girl that a man can
give to a woman
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-05-03
CHAPTER XIII.
A SURPRISING Slip.

Scott was called by Lefever to con.
Guide in secret the final arrangements.
The ground about the quaking asp
grove, and nearest Ell Captain, afford
ed the best concealment close to the
gap. And to this point Scott was di-
rected to bring what men he could be.
fore daybreak the following morning.
ITS a short notice to get many
men together-of the kind we want"
admitted Lefever. you'll have to
skirmish some -hetKeen nov and mid
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-05-03
(To be continued

They say no red-headed men get
bald, but we have seen bald-headed
men get red.
Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1917-01-17

passed in Illinois in 1913, when. the
women obtained a degree Of enfran-
chisement which makes them of al
most as much Importance politically
as the women in the full suffrage
states.
The third bill is a more modest
measure, but it arouses very consid
cradle enthusiasm among the wom-
en- of the suffrage organizations and
also the women of the w. c. T. U.
1t is bill to give women the vote on
all questions affecting the liquor
trade. This would enable women to
vote on license or no license whenever
this question is up before the voters
for their decision. AS about half the
towns in Connecticut are now under
no-license there is a strong temper
ance sentiment that can be counted
upon to aid in the passage OF this
measure.
The greatest opponent of votes for
women is the liquor trade, but when
the question is limited to a vote on
license it will be impossible 20 con-
ceal the real enemy. as the suffra-
gists look at it. The liquor trade is
able to use the ladies who oppose
woman suffrage in its opposition to
full suffrage for women, they main
tain. 1t is hardly likely that 1t can
persuade these ladies to play its game
when it is merely a, question of ex-
tending the present right to vote on
school and library questions to cover
a vote on license questions as well,
they say.
Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1917-01-17

Late Tuesday afternoon James L.
Case. who is in general charge of the
membership campaign to be held on
Friday by the Chamber Of Commerce
of Norwich, Conn.,, Inc, announced
that Col. Charles w. Gale will be
POSTMASTER at the campaign suppers
to be- held on Thursday and Friday
evenings. On both these evenings the
team captains will gather at the
Chamber of Commerce rooms for sup
per at $50 o'clock. Thursday evening
the gathering is to be held for the pur-
pose of hearing the final details for
the campaign, and on Friday evening
they viii gather for the purpose of
rendering their, reports and to hear
the reports OF the work for the day.
An important meeting of the campaign
leaders is to be held this evening.
Announcement was also made on
Tuesday by the secretary of the
Chamber Of Commerce that the COM
pIete list Of speakers for the Eastern
Connecticut Chamber OF Commerce
banquet has been arranged. As has
Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1917-01-17
MAY HAVE TWO
SUBS AT STATE PIER.
New Subsea Trader is Expected With
the Deutschland.

So far as any information obtain
able at the offices of the Eastern For
warding company at the state steam
ship terminal is concerned, there might
be no such thing afioat as a German
submarine, merchantmen or otherwise.
1t was announced there Tuesday
morning that the first irtimation of the
arrival of a submersible at New Lon
don which the officials of the company
would have would be: when it got here
Nevertheless and notwithstanding,
certain preparations are being made
which indicate that the coming of a
submarine is anticipated at almost any
moment. p.
On the heels of an announcement
from New York that sister ship Of
the Deutschland will be due in New
London Wednesday, newspaper and
camera men from the metropolis and
Boston are fiocking to New London.
According to the report quoted, the
new subsea trader is larger than either
the Deutschland or Bremen and is
capable not only of carrying a larger
speed. She is said to have crew of
80 men, as against the Deutschland's
25, and her cargo is reputed to be
worth more than $40, 000, 900, to sa
nothing OF The Securities which are on
board.
The story goes that she left Bremen
JAN and that because of her greater
speed she should reach New London
w Wednesday or very soon afterWard- 1t
is said she is followed by the Deutsch-
land. whose gallant captain, Paul
Koenig, was given a dinner in Berlin
just before sailing a few days after
the sister ship. Unless the new vessel
can unload and load in record time.
it is reported that both submarines
will be at New London together.
1t is further claimed that the East
ern Forwarding company is in possess
sion of authentic information to the
effect that the British admiralty, at
last realizing the uselessness of its
cruiser and destroyer patrol. will now
use fast submarines, especially equip
ped with microphones and other de-
vices, for interrupting Germany's 'irri-
tatingly successful enterprise"
"A fleet of these submarines is now
at Halifax according to the author
of the foregoing statement, awaiting
the word to mobilize outside New Lon
don and practice homeopathic treat
ment against the enemy merchantmen.
1t is the open boast of the English
that the luck which saw the Deutsch-
land safely out of her collision with
the tug at her last sailing is about to
fOrsake her.
Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1917-01-17
q NATURAL CLUB.
Mrs. William Bailey Hostess at Her
Home on Broadway.

Mrs. William Bailey was hostess to
the B Natural club Tuesday afternoon
at her home on Broadway. An inter-
esting meeting, Miss Marguerite Wulf
presiding, preceded the following
pleasing program: Vocal duet, When
the First Red Roses Bloom and Boat
Song, Mrs. Reuben Potter, Miss Ruth
Potter; whistling solo. Cherie and In
Autumn Time, Mrs. Alfred B1iven, Miss
F1orine Scofie1d accompanying; piano
duet. Prelude. Lours, and Romance.
Lours, Miss Florine Scofeld, Miss Mar
guerite Wu1f; vocal solo, My Task,
Ashford. Mrs. James Bidwell, accom-
panied by Miss F1orine Scofield: vocal
solo, There Lies the Warmth of Sum-
mer, Mrs. Albert ]. Bailey. Mrs. Bailey
was accompanied by Miss Olive Riley.
Piano solo, Elegie in c minor. Nollet.
and The Brook, Mrs. Charles Geer;
readings, Billy's Rose and Bridget's
Turnover. Mrs. Oliver; piano duet.
The Dragon Fighter and Spanish
Dance, Mrs. Charles V. James, Miss
Olive Riley; vocal solo, My Fiddle and
1 and Sing Me to Sleep, Mrs. Walter
M. buckingham, accompanied by Miss
F1orine Scofeld.
Dainty refreshments served by the
hostess closed an enjoyable afternoon.
Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1917-01-17
MABEL A. KING is
COMPLICATED PROBLEM
Her Case Taken Up BY New London
Association of Charities.

One of the cases discussed at the
meeting of the advisory committee of
the Associated Charities of New Lon
don Monday afternoon has presented
a complicated problem. On Thanks
giving day. the Associated Charities
was informed that Mabel King was to
be released from Jail and that she was
really incapable of caring for herself.
Through the cooperation of Charity
Commissioner Prentis and Mr.. Moss
broker, she was transferred to the
almhouse- Shortly afterwards. the
secretary of the Associated Charities
visited her there and concluded from
a protracted interview that she must
certainly be mentally deranged. Ac-
cordingly, with the consent of the au-
thorities. he conducted her to DR.. Erd-
mann, superintendent of the Norwich
State Hospital for the Insane, in or
der that she might be examined by an
expert. DR.. Erdmann, after spending
much time with her pronounced her
undoubtedly insane. AS she had been
born and brought up in Norwich it
was decided to make an attempt to
commit her through the Norwich pro-
bate court. However. when this was
attempted the first selectman of Nor
wich brought out in his questioning
a vague hint that Mabel might at one
time have been married. She claimed
she had been married three years and
had not seen her husband in five years.
The fact, however, that she might
have a husband made it possible for
Norwich to evade the cost of her care
in the asylum, since she would take
her husbands settlement.
Now there was presented the prob
lem of locating him in order to dis
cover what her settlement would be.
Her conductor brought her back to
New London and as it was too late
for her 10 enter the almshouse ar
engagements were made for her care
over night, and for her to be broght
to the office the first thing in the
morning. She managed to slip aay
however, early in the morning and was
brought up before the court and re-
committed to Jail before noon of that
day. This was her fourth commit
ment in New London, in addition to
eight terms in Jail in Norwich. once in
Hartford and once in New York and
other places. Being mentally irres-
ponsib1e, she had been the tool for
years of whoever she might meet and
has led the life of, degenerate.
It was now necessary to locate her
settlement in order that she might at
last get the proper care and be pro-
tected from herself and others. The
Associated Charities finally managed
to elicit a clue that she might have
been married in Winsted. The secre-
tary therefore wrote a friend of the
society for years back and finally dis
covered the record Of marriage of
she and Alfred Tracy King of East
Orchard, Mass. She had said that her
husband came from somewhere in New
postmaster of East Orchard, who re-
piled that there was no Alfred Tracy
King, but an Alfred Tracy. Another
letter was written to the mother of Al
fred Tracy, but she said her son had
been gone several years. his where
Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1917-01-17
WOMEN HOPEFUL OVER
THE SUFFRAGE OUTLOOK
Three Measures in Which They Are
Chiefly Interested Have Been In
troduced.

The three measures which the suf-
fragists are chiefly interested in this
session have now all been introduced
in the legislature. The first is the
resolution for the amendment of the
constitution OF Connecticut. This
measure, when passed. will grant full
suffrage to women in this state on
the same basis as it is now granted
to men. It cannot, however, be pass
ed this year. All that the legislature
ran do is to pass 1t by a majority
vote through the house of representa-
lives. It will have to wait until 1913,
when It must be passed by both
houses and senate and referred to the
voters for their endorsement.
The women are therefore looking
hopefully to the other two measures
for they would like to have some
measure of suffrage granted to them
without further delay The first of
these two subsidiary bills is one for
presidential and municipal suffrage
for wmoen. This would enable wom-
en- to vote in the town meetings and
on all questions affecting the towns
and cities, and also for presidential
electors. It is a bill similar to that