davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-11-10
CHAPTER l..

1t was over. The rambling house,
with its rickety, Old-fashioned furni-
ture-and it's memories-was now de-
serted, except for Robert Fairchild,
and he was deserted within it, wan
dering from room to room staring at
familiar objects with the unfamiliar
gaze Of n whose vision suddenly
mas been warped by the visitation Of
death and the sense of loneliness that
1t brings.
Loneliness, rather than grief, for it
had been Robert Fairchild'S promise
that he would not suffer in heart for
one who had longed TO SO into a peace
Cor which he had waited, seemingly in
vain. Year after year. Thornton Fair
child had sat in the big armchair by
the windows, watching the days grow
old and fade into night, studying sun
set after sunset, voicing the vain hope
that the cleaning might bring the twi-
Gight Of his own eXistence-a silent
man except for this, rarely speaking Of
the past, never giving to the son who
worked for him, cared for him, wor-
SHIPPED him, the slightest inkling Of
wlIat might have happened in the dim
days Of the long ago to transform him
tntO q beaten thing, longing for the
final ~surcease. And when the end
came. 1t found him in readiness, wait
Eng in the big armchair by the Win
dows. Even now, a book lay on the
nr,al ,oar pf thn old rnnJl
where it had fallen from relaxing fin
gers. Robert F"airchild picked it up,
and with a sigh restored it to the
grim, fumed oak case. His days OF
petty sacrifices that his father might
while away the weary hours with
reading were over.
What had been the past? Why the
silence? Why the patient, yet impa-
tient wait for death? The son did not
know. In all his memories was only
one faint picture, painted years be-
fore in babyhOOd: the return of his
father from some place, he knew not
where, q long conference WITH his
mother behind closed doors. while he,
fn childlike curiosity, waited without,
seeking in vain to catch some expla-
nation. Then q sad-faced who
cried ut night when the house was
still, who faded and who died. That
was all. The picture carried no ex-
planation.
And now Robert Fairchiid stood on
the threshold OF something he almost
feared To learn. Once, on a black,
stormy night, they had sat together,
father and son before the fire, silent
for hours. Then the hand Of the
white-haired man had reached out
ward and rested for q moment on the
young mans knee.
81 wrote something TO you, Boy, a
day or so ago." he had said. THAT
little illness I had prompted me to
do 1t. IL thought 1t was only fair
to you. After I'm gone, look in the
safe. You'll find the combination OF
q piece Of paper hidden in a hole cut
In that old European history in the
bookcase. I have your promise. !!
know-that you'll not do 1t until after
I'm gone"
Now Thornton Fairchild was gone.
But n rnessaCe had remained behind
one which the patient lips evidently
had fe,re,l 70 utter during life. The
hcart Of the son began TO pound. slow
and hard, as, with The peDcry Of that
The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-11-10

had not exerted itself against an office
cramped brain, "a dusty ledger-flled
life that suddenly felt itself crying
out for the free, open country, without
hardly knowing what the term meant.
Old Beamish caught the light in the
eyes, the quick contraction Of the
hands, and smiled.
"You don't need to tell me, Son."
he said slowly. II can see the symp-
toms. You've got the ~fever-you're
going back to work that mine.
"Ohadi Is thirty-eight miles from
Denver. That's your goal. Out there,
they'll tell you how the mine caved In,
and how Thornton Fairthild, who had
worked 1t, together with his two men,
Harry Earkins, q Cornishman, and
'Sissie' Larsen, Swede, left town late
one night for Cripple Creek-and that
they never came back. That's the
story they'll tell you. Agree with 1t.
Tell them that Harkins, as far as you
know, went back to Cornwall, and
that you have heard vaguely that Lar
sen later followed the mining game
farther out west"
"Is 1t the TRUTH"
"How do l know? It's good enough
people shouldn't ask questions. Tell
nothing more than that-and be care
full Of your friends. There is one
man to watch-if he Is still alive.
They call him 'Squint' Rodaine, and
he may or may not still be there. 1
don't know-Tm only sure Of the fact
that your father hated him, fought
him and feared him. The mine tun-
mel is two miles up Kentucky gulch
and one hundred yards to the right.
A surveyor can lead you to the very
spot. It's been abandoned now for
thirty years. What you'l And there
is more than / can guess. But, Boy"
and his hand clenched tight on Robert
F%airchild's shoulder, whatever you
do, whatever you run into, whatever
friends or enemies you find awaiting
you, don't let that light die out Of
your Eyes and don't pull in that chin |
II you find a fight on your hands,
whether it's man, beast or nature, sail
into it! If you run into things that
cut your very heart out to learn-beat
'em down and keep going! And win !
There-that's all the advice I know.
Meet me at the IL 10 train for Indian
apolis. Goodbyl"
"Goodby-Tn be there" Fsirchild
grasped the pudgy hand and left the
Office. For a moment afterward, old
Henry Beamish stood thinking and
looking out over the dingy roof ada.
cent. Then, somewhat absently, he
pressed the ancient electric button for
his more ancient stenographer.
"Call a messenger, please" he or
dered when she entered, II want to
| send a cablegram."
The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-11-10

Accept his counsels, laugh at his little
eccentrlcities If you will, but follow
his judgment implicitly. Above all,
ask him no questions that he does not
care 10 answer-there are things that
he may not deem wise to tell.
There is little more to say. Beam
ish will attend TO everything for you
If you care to 60. Sell everything
that is here; the house, the furniture,
the belongings. 1t is my wish, and
you will need the capital-if you 60.
And If circumstances should arise 10
bring before you the story of that
which has caused me so much dark
ness, l have nothing to say in self
e~Xtenuation. / made one mistake
that Of fear-and In committing one
error, l shouldered every blame. 1t
makes little difference now. l am
dead-and free.
My love to you, my son. / hope
that wealth and happiness await you.
Blood of my blood flows in your veins
and strange though 1t may sound to
you-it is the blood Of an adventurer.
They say, once in the blood, it never
dies. My wish is that you succeed
where l failed-and God be with you!
YOUR FATHER"
For q long moment Robert Fairchild
stood staring at the letter, his heart
pounding with excitement, his hands
g%rasping the foolscap paper as though
with q desire to tear through the
shield which the written words had
formed about a mysterious past and
disclose that which was so effectively
hidden. SO much had the letter told
and yet so little! Dark had been the
hints Of some mysterious, intangible
thing, great enough in it's horror and
its far-reaching consequences to cause
death for one who had known of 1t
and a living panic for him who had
perpetrated II. In that super-calm-
ness which accompanies great agita-
ton, Fairchild folded the paper,
placed it in its envelope, then slipped
it into an inside pocket. A few steps
and he was before the safe once more
and reaching for the second envelope.
Heavy and bulky was this, filed
with tax receipts, with plats and blue
prints and the reports of surveyors.
Here was an assay slip, bearing figures
and notations which Robert F~airchild
could not understand, hen a legal doc
ument, sealed and stamped, and bear
ing the words:
County Of Clear Creek, ss
State of Colorado.
DEED PATENT.
KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE
PRESENTS: That on this day of our
Lord, February %, 1892, Thornton w.
Fafrchild, having presented the neces-
sary affidayits and statements of as
sessments accomplished in accordance
with
On it trailed in endless legal phrase
ology, telling in muddled, attorney-like
language, the fact that the law had
been fulfilled in its requirements, and
that the claim for which Thornton
Fairchild had worked was rightfully
his, forever. Fairchild reached for
the age-yellowed envelope to return
the papers to their resting place. But
he checked his motion i%nvoluntarily
The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-11-10

lTO BE C~oNTlNUErA
The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-11-10

and for a moment held the envelope
before him, staring at 1t with wide
eyes. Then, as though to free by the
stronger light of the window the
haunting thing which faced him.. he
rose and hurried across the room, to
better light, only to find 1t had not
been Imagination; the words still
were before him, a sentence written
in faint, faded ink proclaiming the
contents to be Papers Relating to the
Blue Poppy Nine" and written across
this a word In the holder, harsher
strokes Of a man under stress of emo
ton, a word which held the eyes Of
Robert Fairchild fixed and staring, a
word which spelled books Of the past
and evil threats of the future, the
single, ominous word:
ACCUSED"
The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-11-10
New Book Ends Invented.

Because book ends relying on their
weight have a tendency To slide apart
on smooth tables an inventor has pat
ented a pair mounted on rollers and
held together with n spring to keep
them against books between them.
The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-11-10
Pump Returns Gasoline.

A tank for draining gasoline from
an automobile when repairs are to be
made has been equipped with a pump
and hose for returning the fuel.
The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-11-10
Cancels Popularity.

The camel cannO swim. The moment
II loses its footing In running water
ii turns on It's side and makes no effort
to save itself from drowning.
The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-11-10
cHAPTE 2 II.

In spite of all that omens could
foretell, in spite Of the dull, gloomy
life which had done It's best to fash
The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-11-10

Never limit your mental exercises to
Jumping TO conclusions.
The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-11-10

We feel sorry for the man who Id
married to an imaginative woman with
nerves.
The New York herald., 1922-11-03
Thought Balfour a Mystic.

/ spoke at the Belasco Theater the
other day for the benefit of the French
war relief fund, introducing Ambas-
sador Herrick and the lecturer, q
young Frenchman. Joffre and Viviani
were in a box. Every mention of the
name Of Joffre brought the people to
their feet. Yesterday / spoke again
at meeting of the State Councils of
Defense and / inclose you what the
New York Post had TO say.
Last night ! dined with Balfour.
have seen quito a little OF him. He is
90 years old and stands about 6 feet 2.
He is a perfect type of the aristocratic
Engllshman, with charming smile.
His real heart is In the study of phi
losOphy. Anne sat next to him at
dinner and he told her that he be-
lieved in personal God, personal
identity after death, and answer to
prayer, which Is a remarkable state
ment Of faith for one who has lived
through our scientific age. think at
bottom he is a mystic.
On all sides they are frank in telling
of their distress. We did not come in
a minute too soon. England and
France, / believe. were gone il we had
not come in. 1t delights me to see how
much sympathy there is with Eng
land as well as with France. The Irish
The New York herald., 1922-11-03

impressive sight have ever seen was
that at washington's Tomb last Sun
day. We went down on the May
fiower-the French and the English
commissions and the members of the
Cabinet. Viviani and Balfour spoke.
Joffre laid a bronze palm upon Wash
ington's Tomb, then stood up In his
soldierly .way and stood at salute for
minute. Balfour laid a wreath of
lilies upon the tomb, and Leaned over
as if in prayer. Above the tomb, for
the first time, flew the flag of another
country than our own, the Stars and
Stripes, and on either side. the British
Jack and the French tricolor. This is
combination Of the democracies of
the world against feudalism and au-
tocracy.
heard a story from one of Joffre's
aids. Joffre, by the way, is the
quietest, sweetest, most naive and
babylike individual ever met. All OF
the women, as we'll as the men, are in
love with him. This simple. grave,
kindly soldier sat in his room while
the Germans came marching upon
Paris, saying nothing. Every few
minutes an aid would come in and
move the French markers back upon
the map. and the German markers
forward, toward Paris. Day after day
he saw this advance, but said nothing.
At last when they came to the valley
of the Marne, an aid came in and
marked the map, showing that the
Germans were within thirty miles of
Paris. Then Joffre quietly said: This
thing has gone far enough" and talk
ing up pad OF paper he called to his
troops to stand fast and die upon the
Marine, IL necessary, to save France.
There is nothing finer than this in
history.
Joffre has a skin like baby. He
has the utmost frankness and SIM
plicity of speech. When McAdoo
asked him at the White House il the
present drive was satisfactory, he said
in the most innocent way: "I am not
there" Viviani, who is the head of
the French commission, is as Jealous
as a prima donna, terribly jealous OF
Joffre (Which makes Joffre feel most
uncomfortable) because, of course,
Joffre is the hero of the Marine.
The New York herald., 1922-11-03
Railroad Mobilization.
WASHINGTON, April IS.

\. WASHINGTON, April is, 1917.
\ The situation is not as happy in
Russia as 1t should be. The people are
SO infatuated with their own internal
reforms that there is danger of their
making a separate peace, which would
throw the entire strength OF Germany
on the west front, and compel us to go
In with millions OF men where we had
thought thata few would suffice.
My work on the national council OF
defense lately has been dealing with
many things, chiefly mobilization OF
our railroads and the securing of new
shipping. AT my suggestion to Mr..
Willard he called together the leading
forty-five railroad presidents of the
United States, and I addressed them
upon the necessity of tying together
all OF the railroads within one unit
and making a single operating system
OF the 100000 miles. They met the
proposition splendidly and ap- >inted
a committee to effect this. 1t will re-
quire some sacrifice on the part of the
railroads, and considerable on the part
of the shippers; for free time on cars
will have TO be cut down, some pas
senger trains taken off and equipment
allowed to flow freely from one system
to the other under a single direction,
no matter who owns the locomotives
or the cars. I put il UP to them as
test of the efficiency Of private owner
ship.
On the shipping side we are not only
going about the task of building a
thousand wooden ships, under the d.
rection OF Denman and Goethals, but
we are going TO take our coastwise
shipping off, making the railroads
carry this freight. and put all available
ships into the transatlantic business.
We want, also, 20 get some steel ships
huilt. The great trouble with this is
the shortage OF plates and the short
age of shipyards. In order to effect
this, expect we win have to postpone
the building Of come of our large
dreadnoughts and battle cruisers,
which could not be in service for three
years anyhow. Whether we Will sue
coed in getting the Secretary OF the
Navy to agree TO this is a question,
hut I am going to try.
We, OF course, are going 20 press
The New York herald., 1922-11-03
Continued from First Page.

moment is 10 get ships 20 carry the
supplies across the water. 1t is a
secret, but a fact. that France has
100000 tons Of freight in New YORK
and other harbors waiting to ship, /
an, in favor or taking all the German
ships under requisition, paying for
their use eventually. but this is a mat
ter of months. Immediately, l think
we should take all the coastwise ships,
or the larger portion of them. The
navy Golfers and army transports can
be put into the business OF carrying
supplies TO France.
We are TO have a meeting OF the
council of national defense to-day, and
j am going to take this matter up. L
have been pushing on it for several
weeks. AS 10 the purchasing Of sup
plies. think we ought to protect the
Allies, especially Russia, but, of course,
We cannot touch their present con-
4vzCfq
The New York herald., 1922-11-03

England is sending over Mr.. Bal
four with a very high commission.
These gentlemen will arrive here this
week, and I expect with them Viviani
and Joffre, from France. We will
have intimate talks with them and
gain the benefit OF their experience.
expect Mr.. Balfour to make some
speeches that will put England in
moro favorable light, and the presence
OF Joffre will stimulate recruiting In
our army and navy. He is the one
real figure who has come out of the
war so far.
We are raising seven billions: three
billions to go to the Allies, largely for
purchases to be made here. Money
contributions pass unanimously, but
there is 10. be trouble over our war
measures respecting conscription and
the raising OF an adequate army. Some
pacifists and other pro-Germans are
cultiyating the idea that none but
volunteers should he sent to Europe.
Some are also saying Germany can
have peace with us if she stops her
submarine warfare. I doubt if that
line OF agitation will be successful be-
fore Congress. Certainly it will not
be successful with the President or
the Cabinet. We are now very hap
PLY united upon following every
course that will lead TO the quickest
and most complete victory.
The greatest impending danger is
the drive on the east front into Russia.
possibly the taking OF Petrograd and
the weakness on the part of the Rus
slams because OF so large a socialistic
element now in control Of Russian af-
fairs. We offered Russia commits
sion OF railroad men TO look over their
railroad systems and advise with them
as to the best means OF operating
them. At first Russia inclined to well
come such aIconmission. but later the
offer was declined because OF local
feeling. We intend 10 send a cont
mission ourselves TO Russia. possibly
headed by Mc-Acoo or Root, and on
this commission we win have a rail-
road man with expert knowledge who
can be OF some service 10 them.
hope. The Russian and the French
Governments have ordered hundreds
of locomotives and tens of thousands
OF cars in this country, large part
Of which are ready for shipment. but
which cannot be shipped because of
lack of shipping facilities.
The New York herald., 1922-11-03
Letter to the President.
WAsHINevoN. Nov. 8. 191

WAShiNGNONs NOV. d. iJtt.
My DEAR MIR. PhgsIpENT--On April
z. 1917, the Council of National De-
Tense adopted a report. submitted by
the chairman of the executive conf
mittee on labor of the advisory COM
mission of the council, urging that no
change in existing standards be made
during the war, either employers or
employees, except with the approval
of the Council OF National De-
fense.
The nexS step for producing efi-
cheney must be no strikes.
The annual convention of the Amer
lean Federation OF Labor, consisting
of international unions. will be held at
Buffalo on November IL. would urge
that about thirty executives of the
unions. which more directly control
essential war production. be invited to
confer with you prior to that date to
determine on policy which will pre-
vent the constant interruption of pro-
The New York herald., 1922-11-03

much as all the evidence pointed to
the conclusion that the German Gem
terists and Austria were responsible
for this appeal, that we could not af-
ford to have them feel that we were
for a policy OF annihilation-for this
would be- playing the war party's
game and would place the burden on
us of continuing the war. And this
we could neither afford ITO dol at
home or abroad. This opportunity
should be seized. said, to make plain
not so much our terms of peace as
the things in Germany that seemed
TO make peace difficult--Germany'
attitude toward the world, the spirit
against which we are fighting. That
we wished peace: that we had been
patient TO the limit; that we had
come in In the hope that We could de-
stroy the idea in the German mind
that it could impose its authority and
system by force upon an unwilling
world; that we were not opposed to
talking peace provided at the outset
and as a sine quG non the Central
Powers would assume that govern
ment by the soldier was not a possi-
bility in the twentieth century.
The colonel said that he had writ
ten the President 70 this same effect.
He thought that the Allies would
strongly insist upon concerted action.
putting aside the Pope's appeal, and
that this had to be resisted, for we
should play our own game.
1 find all l meet here strong for
the war, but of course INonly meet
tine high spirited. There is much feel
ing that we are going about ii too
mechanically, with too little emotion
and passion.
The New York herald., 1922-11-03
French Desperation.
WASHINGTON. May s

WASHlNdIONt hdy o. lSlI.
I had long talk with Hoover yes
terday. He tells me that the U-boat
situation Is really worse than stated
1t. There is no question but that the
actual sinkings amounted to more
than SOC, 900 tons in a week, and IL we
add those put out of business by
mines they win exceed 100000 TONS
The French are absolutely desperate.
One of the Frenchs. Ministers told
Hoover that they had fixed on the
first OF November as their last day II
the United States had not come in.
Admiral Chocheprat told me, with
tears in his eyes. three nights ago
that they felt themselves helpless.
the submarines because of their lack
of destroyers. and they had feared we
were preparing to defend our own
shores rather than fight across the
water. I know that the latter has
been the policy of the heads of the
Navy Department.
This is the time to defend the United
States, and the United States is
woefully Indifferent to its dangers and
to the needs of the situation. We
have been carrying on a shipbuilding
program with reference to conditions
after the 1cdr. 1t Is only within ten
days that we have realized that the
end of the war will be one of defeat
unless we build twice as fast as we
proposed to build. This war
is right at this minute q challenge to
every particle OF brains and inventive
skill that we have got.
MAY s.
The only dissension IN tAe council
is over the use that viii be made of
Hoover. Houston, I think, is rather
making a mistake. though It may
work out all right. hope it will.