Shoshone journal., 1922-10-13


"A So many are the deaths we die
Before we can be dead indeed"
w. D. Henley
1NIiE town of Willow Creek lie
at the junction Of rivuiet o
Il that name, with the Big Mud
oy. But the people Of that commu
nIfy being born scoffers, have changed
the name Of the Big Muddy In com
! mon parlance to Mud Crick," and
transformed by the alchemy Of popu
lar depreciation, the name of the town
Itself has sbrlveled into "Willer
/ Creek 1t might have been some
hing Of town, rs towns go in the
West, but instead Of pulling with his
ncighbors for the success Of the town,
each of its founders spent his time
EaklIg fun Of the pretensions Of ot6-
eFs. When there was talk on the part
of "old man" Mead, the primeval post
master, of securing the government
land office for Willow Greek, the In
dan trader, and the saloonkeeper, and
The blacksmith, made great sport of
The old mans ambition. A few years
later, when civilization had crowded
In with hotel, lumber yard q new
saloon, and barbcr shop, someone
spoke of starting ewspaper; but
the laugh that went p from Willow
Creek was the only unanimity that
greeted Editor McCray when his back
was turned. But the newspaper came
and so did the people, and they kept
coming. until, when the boom" of the
later eighties struck Kansas, 1t found
Willow Creek with about two thou
sand scoffing inhabitants
But, in one way or another, the
boom" seemed TO bring wealth TO
Willow Creek. And with wealth,
came some attempts at the organi-
zaiion of polite society. There were
inunerable young real estate agents,
young doctors, young lawyers, and
clerks, all from the East, in the viii
lase; and these, with the daughters of
lie early settlers and such friends as
He! cbanced to make In the high
.oOi. constituted the aristocracy of
the town. 1t was vulnerable aris-
TO, rMcy and the scoffers made sad
Lav0c with it.
II Was said of Flora McCray, who
went to boarding school and came
Lack, timid, retiring, and distinctly
nssocial, that, "She needn't hold her.
SELF 50 high. If her father would only
ray back the money he stole In the
school land fraud she would be as
I'll
lsii,i no heed to these rumors, if she
heard them. She quietly filed her
small sphere, bounded on one side by
her meek-voiced mother and her busy
fafher on another side by her church
and her church social" on third
side by very brief glimpse of very
big world and her memory of Il. and
on the fourth side by occasional day
dreams and night thoughts. pretty
much the same as those which come
10 any young girl of good health, good
SPIRITS. and twenty-one years, who has
never had sweetheart.
AS The reaction, caused by the de-
cadence of real estate prices ser in,
Willow Creek became poorer. AS the
yolng men. who paid for the orches-
tras. and halls, and flowers. gradually
left town. the young women, who for
merry frequented receptions, parties,
and balls. were seen more and more
often at the "church socials.' After
two years Intellectual struggle Will |
low Creek gave 1t up. the town could |
10 longer support two branches of |
society, and the Church crowd" and
tie dance crowd merged into one.
When it was announced that the
entire social body of Willow Creek
was going out to Robinson's for a
"tafTy pulp one Saturday night. the
rest of Willow Creek laughed. The
town people sneered at the young wom-
en- who had planned the party, and in
timated that the night ride out to Rob
insons and back was heroic meas
ure; and they laughed at old man
Robinson and his family for toerating
people who would snub them II they
came to town, and lastly they laughed
at the young men who would have to
pay the livery bills.
cdiuJuuN uOfbibks Joh'i hic''N ~
MIR. Mccrsy's partner in the STOCK
business. came up from the farm on
Dry Greek and after going over some
details Of business. McCrny asked his
partner TO Sunday dinner. as wac bis
custom. when the young man was IN
ioHn, and the Invitation wns accepted
During the boom" Howard had mace
money. He had mingled with whaf is
Known as fhe swell set of WHO"
'reek. snd though not II faYorlte al
ihe flood Of the boom" the very faci
fiint he bad ibe social Instinct. made
hin neoessty in society az its epD'
soon sftef Leaving bis partners o.
nee, BE- had learned OF the plans FOR
le 'iafy pull" gbaf evening be Whs
urged 10 ~, aud npding fhai ah ne
nRs were full. alld fiai pl ne eitf
/" his 'sef' Yele provided Nin ~