American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1919-01-17
The Grist
By GAMER On NEW
1918, by Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate.)

John Gates came out Of a trance
like stupor and stared in disgust. He
had not been the victim of a bad
dream. No, he shivered. would that
life were like that dreami
Two minutes before there had
danced before his vision a picture of
an old grist mill. He could see the
trees Iazily and happily brushing their
leaves with every puff of wind, n
the little dam that %laughingly dashed
It's 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 pure-white
-four. so much in keeping with the sa-
credly pure precincts about which he
had scampered years before, barefoot,
poor, but happy. And then the sweet
smile. of his mOther-that dear. kindly
soul, whose happiest mission was min
istration to his boyish whlms and an
appreciative fathers wants. And then
he woke upl
For a moment he surveyed himself
sadly. Those bare toes OF his Boy
hood were now encased In rich, COM
Portable shoes, showing off In marked
contrast the worn carpet on which
they rested. He fingered n~ervously
the w~ell-tailored clothes that long since
had replaced torn, ragged overalls'
and smiled bitterly. And then he
looked upl
An old man bent over a desk several
feet away seemed to remind him OF
the old miller, his father, with his
sparse gray hairs and stopped shout
ders-until he looked up. A pair OF
, rascally, cunning eyes met Gates fur
lively, and then darted to a rough
! looking individual waiting, as was
: Gates, on one of the chairs In a row
about the wall Of the large outer Of
fee. A buzzer sounded and the door
e of the inner sanctum opened.
"It's your turn next" huskily whis-
pered the old man to the other. Leave
e 1t to Jerry Bletzman. He'll fix you
up" :
The man grunted unintelligibly anc
e rose hesltatingly to his feet. He, llkt
MOST Vi HIS Willie Nht nav
e come to be fixed up" And Bletzman
o the far-famed p. Gerald Bletzman, self
IS styled counselor at law" was to d.
a the fixing" or, rather, the "unfixing.
e For Bletzman's many hired henchmeI
t. proclaimed that no matrimonial kno
IS was too hard for their patron to un
ell tie. -
id "Jes' leave It { me-" doomed a rau
20 cous voice, which Gates recognized q
Bletzman's as he hurriedly pushed
o. spidery-looking young man out of hi
office. "Ill get somethln' on her. The
aIn't none o. them too foxy fer Bletz
: man, are they, Pete?"
~ Pete, his assistant, acquiesce
speedily with q chuckle, and Bletzma.
,e bent a beady eye on the nan who stoo
v. close to Pete's desk.
m "Come right in," he welcomed tn
other suavely, laying a sweaty palm o
10 the clients sleeve. pete, bring Il
q gentleman's card in-now."
ho The door slammed and again tn
M outer office subsidized into a low mul
III muir of voices.
SO, unused Gates, this was what h
had come to. A place where the 81
=, cred ties of marriage and motherhood
- were banded about like packing box'
and ~card-indexed like u case
measles. Br-r-rl
And across the room, instead of II
sweet smile of his mother, a gra-
haired woman in gay clothes smirkt
fraternally at him while waiting h
turn.
This drove Gates eyes to his la
on which rested a peat package, Whit
he now united. Dragging forth a v,
lowish paper, he fell to reading it. al
W again 1t conjured forth visions fro
out of a happy past.
There was a great high-celllnged pa
lor, smelling deliclously of fires
picked blossoms, and echolng 4
sound OF many laughing voices al
IN the crinkle of nan stiff party dress'
And n ~rose-bower In the center, ind
~, which an ecstatic couple were receI
ing congratulations. And Gates, as
, read his marriage license, heard ane
as II II were yesterday. the little G
pastors solemn warning, "Whom G
hath Joined together, let no man p
asunder."
"Purty well prepared, amt yuh, m
@ teri" The voice at Gates elb,
:" caused him TO thrust the paper ba
In the packet, as he looked up
meet the leer of the man on his rig
"My old woma swiped mine" cont
ned the other. enyiously, "Leastwn
she muster given II { tn guy S
'aan Hoped with. Cost me fifty extra Z
e a new one. Amt women tn darn
yeggs?"
IA Gates stared Mt him unseeingly. |
NN the last remark caused him to shi'
anew. Lucille. his wife. a yegg? N
rs eri She was a fine girl, through 0
~ through. They just couldn't get ale
that was all. And some one had S