Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1928-08-02

T1dnO8 OF inQIdn8.
down there in the tent-Dave Tracy.
Dave Tracy was a gambler; he could
teach me no trade but his own. He
never tried to make gambler Of me
Il made one Of myself liked it, I
drifted into it, expect to die in it.
I don't excuse 1t. I don't whine about
it. I know the cards-they know me.
They're false friends, like all friends
with you when you win, against you
when you lose. But I don't forget
what that man has done to me and
mine. You ask me, Carpy, why don't
kill limits because his son, Lieut..
Henry Roper, was my father!"
An instant Of silence. terrible to
sustain, followed the astonishing
words. Roper, apoplectic with emo
ton, started and clutched at his shirt
collar.
Before any one could reach him he
fell heavily to the floor.
Wentworth and Carpy, with much
lifting and tugging, carried Roper to
the bed in Carpy's room, and while the
doctor administered restoratives, Sell
wood, assured that no fatal issue
threatened, went downstairs. Went
worth Joined him presently with the
news that Roper had recovered con-
sciousness and had been given a seda-
tive.
Carpy came down within half an
hour and, accompanied by Wentworth,
went at Selwood's request to his room.
There Selwood sat down before a sup
ply Of champagne.
II told you the bare fact of this
mans relation to me-" he began, ad-
dressing the two men. But you are
entitled to more. My father was Lieut..
Henry Roper; my mother was Annie
Selwood; she was the daughter Of a
post trader at old Fort Pierce. Young
Roper fell in love with my mother.
His father, then Colonel Roper, COM
handing officer there, was violently
angry-he wouldn't listen to their
getting married-he thought a post
traders daughter wasn't good enough
for the Roper blood; but that didn't
chill the young couple. Their one OBJ
ject In life was to get married.
1T would be a poor kind Of a man,
gentlemen, that wouldn't speak well
Of his own mother-who wouldn't
deal gently with her weaknesses and
draw a veil, If need were, over her
mistakes. But, gentlemen, want to
say, I'm not called on to apologize in
any way for my little dead mother.
She was whip Of a girl, eighteen
years old. He was twenty-one. She
weighed ninety pounds when Henry
Roper married her-only ninety
pounds, but every ounce of that ninety
pounds was true womanhood, as you
will say when you hear me; and she
knew what was due to herself. And I
can say no word against my dead
father-he knew what was due to the
woman he loved, and respected 1t. She
was the better educated, he was the
older-and I know nothing Of either
Of them but what Is to their honor
and mine.
"There were few chances at the old
fort, in those days, to get married.
and II there is one thing for which my
father should be blamed it was that
he was afraid Of his own father and
let him bully him. But In spite Of the
bullying he wouldn't give up the girl;
and to break up the attachment, this
old man upstairs arranged to have
his son transferred to Fort Calhoun.
Before the transfer order came
and while the young couple were
growing desperate over their situa-
ton, a party Of Crows started on the
warpath. Colonel Roper ordered
troop Of cavalry out after the Crows
eft happened just when there was
an outbreak Of smallpox at the fort
1t was light, but many Of the men
were down; the captain who would
have ordinarily commanded the expe-
dition was down. Ny father was as
signed to the Job Of Furnishing the
Crows.