The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-11-21
! THE DAILY
SHORT STORY
The Grist-
Copyright. 1913, by the Mcclure
q NewStater Syndicate.)
D. ARcHLEY CAMERON NEW,

had NOT been the victim OF bad
dream No, he sh!vered. would that
life were like that dream.
Two minutes before there had
danced before his vision a picture OF
an old grfSt mill. He could see the
tfeea 1aztly and happily brushing its
leaves With every puff OF wind, and
the little dam that laughingly dashed
its spray against its rocky formation
And his father. with his kindly old
eyes and stopped shoulders, pouring
into the mills grist fine whole wheat
And then he saw the pura ale
sur, so much in keeping with the
lo1edly pure precincts about which
me had scampered years before. bare
foot. poor, but happy. And then the
sweet smile Of his nother-that dear
kindly soul, whose happiest mission
was minlstration to his boyish whins
and an appreciative fathers wants.
And then he woke up!
For a moment he surveyed himself
sadly. Those bare toes OF his boy
hood were now encased in Tich, com
Portable shoes, showing on in marked
contrast the worn carpet on which they
rested. He 1uga-ed nervoas!y the
welltailored clothes that long since
had replaced torn. ragged overalls.
AaQ Quietly RA44u GASA HS
looked ups
y An old man bent over q desk sew
srGl feet away seemed to remind him
OF the old miller, his father, with his
lsparse gray hairs and stopped shout
ders-untu he looked up. A pair OF
faScaiiy, cunning eyes met GateS's fur
lively. and then darted to a rough
looking individual waiting, as was
Gates, on one OF the chairs in row
about the wall OF the large outer office.
A Ouzzer sounded and the door OF the
inner Sanctum opened.
It's your turn next" hIsk:y Ehis-
pered the old man 10 the other. Leave
It 10 jerry Bletzman. Hell fix you
un"
The man graunted unirtelligibly ond
rose INSTANTLY to his feet. He, like
NICE OF E.'4 %a:ti1 IL hretIrHn. hal
come 10 be fixed up" And Bletzman.
the far?tamcd P. Gerald BIetznan. sell
styled counselor at law" was to d"
the "axing.' or. rather. the "uaE1'or'
. For Bietzman's many hired hencEn'N
proclaimed that no matrimonial lS"a'
T7S TOO hard 'cei= al'~"" Iil;ir
He said 30 himself. right now
"Jes' leaGe It { me" doomed, 4 Tau-
ceus voice. which Gates recognized as
Pletzman's as he hurrIedly pushed
- o!Gery looking young man Oh: OF his
Office. "T'1l get sonetHtn' on her. They
amt none o. them too foxy fer Bletz-
man. are they, Pete
Pete. his assistant. acqCiesced speed
flv with cI,ucSle. ana B!etzman bent
4 Se1dy eye on the man who stood
close to Pete's desk.
'Gon,e right in re welcomed the
other suavely. laying Sweaty palm on
the clients sleeve. "Pete, bring tn
Sc' u. cniar'S =: ~ Nv"
The door slammed ard again the ou-
ter office subsidized into low murmur
of voices.
SO. mused Gates. this was what he
had come to. A place where the sac
red ties of marriage and motherhood
were banded about like packing
boxes and card-indexing Ike a case Of
measeis. Br-r-r!
And across the room, instead OF the
sweet smile OF his mother. gray
J haired woman in gay clothes smirked
tnFn.
This drove Gates's eyes to his lap.
on which rested neat packet, which
he now united. Dragging forth vol
lowIsh paper, he fell to reading It, and
again It con1ured forth visions from
out OF happy past.
There was q great hiSh-ceilirged
parlor. smelling delictousIy OF fresh.
picked blossoms. and echoing the
sound Of many laughing voices and the
2 erinlle OF many stiff party dresses.
SAnd fose!bower in the center, under
\ which an ecstatic couple were receiv-
ing congratulations. And Gates, as he
read his marriage license, heard anew.
= Ia1S
pastors solemn warning. Whom God
hath Joined together. let no man put
asunder."
'Purty wen prepared, amt yuh. mis-.
teri" The voice at Gates's elbow
caused him to thrust the paper back
IN the packet, and he looked mp to
HnetS the leer Of 'hc man On his riEht
NY old woman swiped mine" con.
4 tfnuOd the other, enViously. "Least
\ ways. she muster given it t tn guy
she Topped with. Cost me- fifty extra
e get . new one. Amt women tn
dasneSG yeggs?
Gates stared at him unseeingly, but
ne last remark caused him to shivcs
aneW. Lucille, bis wife; xeGg? Never;
She was 4 fine girl, through and
through. They Just couldn't get along
that was all. And some one had sus
Eested BIetzman to him, and
gym come outa tn mill sadder an
poorer" vouchsafed another waiting
one, s'BIstzmanu SEQ t that
9ut OF t4.. mr." "cso~i Gates to
himself In horror. To be- sure. It was
8 mil, but what kind? Bletzman'S
mill swallowed up human souls and
gave up what? Fine white hour?
Could that hoidenish girl be liI1ened
TO his father's -four? Or the decrepit,
eed.nosed wreck at his side who called
dfsAWifs-a-yeEg? or that old wo
man who hlrted with him, and in
WSoSe bFasasy Ioeket At her wrfnI5led
1eek there probably reposed pictures
IS her grandchfldren? And was he to
BE made party to liking his wife
=little winSome Lucille, whom he had
egronged? Yes. he reflected. he had