Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-04-11
ToRCHY LANDS
SHY N
(By scwel Ford, creator of tho Wide.
~ read "rorchys' s,ories,l

~ HCSu IOTCnS' SiOrfeS.) ,
Course. it's all right. I Amt beefn.'
But it Was playin' it kind of low dow,
on a perfectly good private. sec. old
he HANDS me this slip of paper with a
name and address on it.
.S%Torchy:" saws she, just look up
this MIR. H.. Il. Barker, will you, and
get his subscription to the Third
lLoan?"
Yes. sir" says /, maxim a noise
like brisk business. Got him down
for anything special
Lets Sec" says Mr.. Ellins, CON
sultin' a list. ooh, say about five
thousand"
Five. right. says I. salutln' snap
Ply. And | breeze down towards the
Produce Exchange hummin' a merry
air: That is. I it merry All
I'd stopped for was to look up Bark
er's ratin'. Good? Wish 1 had one
like it: Cotton broker. And YOU
know, how those boys have beef coin
In it the last year OF so. Ta-ta-ta-a-
a, te-dee-da-da-a-a! Y
And then / runs up against this
Mr.. Barker is very busy. ver-ruh
busy" says he. scowlin' hostile.
"Ah.S save that old stuff to crush
some agent WITH says I. Hell be
buster yet when hel finds I'm here.
Rush in the card. Harold, SO he won't
be wonderful what delayed me-
what do YOU wish to e him
about?. demands the Peevcd One.
"About three minutes says i.
amt h~andcuffed.. that I'm Representa-
the Corrugated Trust on a little gov
eminent deal that runs into big fig
ures."
Uh-huh. That fetches him. A few
more ticks of the clock and I'm in
leanin' against the, hig mahogany desk
gettin' a closeup of u. X. But say.
if it hadn't been for Qld Hickory him
self givin' me this Steer, n him
chairman of the subcommittee, ]
might have thought there'd been some
mistake. This Barker party don't
look like "a ready loosener. Hardly.
Narrow set eyes, mouth like a CRACK
in the pavement, and signs OF a brist-
~ disposition all owe his map.
""Well?" het demaRas. What sort
of government c~ontract.is this"
Export" says-. "Sendin' stop
pers for Fill the brute
'Fwha-a-at??" ne growls. ''Whad-
dyemean"."
sob. the one We're alr in" says, J.
"You know--L&bcr'ty bond stuff. You
sign here
This time it wasn't even n growl.
It's a Eurgie. And his neck tints up
like a turkeys "G-r-r-r!" w he.
'Get out! Take it away"
ker." says T.. ITS just an app}ica-
Ition blank for" y ~
81 don't want any fool Liberty
bonds" he snarls, assaultinS the desk
blotter with his FIST. 1--WE told you
people that a dozei times Now Why
"rhat,s just it, butts in. Eyes,
probably that's why I'm here. Odd,
amt it,.
SITS 4 blinkety-blanked outrage,
that's what It sis!" he shouts. Am 4
to be bounded like this? Don't 1
know my own mind? I.tdon't believe
in war. anyway. I'm not going TO help
finance one. either: Not me. Why
should 1sbuyE
s.Mytcue,' says z. Thanks. I got
more answers to that than, there are
permission I'll shoot a few. How
much would your bustness he worth II
Won didn't frsve Uncle Sam back. OF
|it. or the British and French back OF
lhirn? Where would IT be tnowdif the
iIJ-boats wasn't bsin' hunted 10 hard?
| You knnX. you'd he begin h mid
dIeStvVest farmers To buy s cent cot
ton ito bed down 1theh cows with.
INow wouldn't you? ~
sHumuh!t" SAYS Barker, regfsterin'
|scorn. That's Whist our govern
Irnert's for. 10 protect commsrce. i
pay my taxes. don't ~"
tsYeS.s' 1ays i, 'safd maybe some OF
III ssCes toward payir' the police. But
N q strdngsarm gam should raid your
block some might, sew h cop in a
sack. break In next door, and begin
.. y. u -..s.sar StaS lN,nsvA AnS&H l,u~s.