White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1931-07-23
CHAPTER III-Continued

CHAPTER IIl-Continued
"Yancey, this case of types badly
pied" Jesse Hickey, journeyman
printer and periodic drunkard, was re-
sponsible for this misfortune, having
dropped case, face down, in the dust
of the road while assisting Yancey in
before you can get out a paper"
"Oh, Rickey'll tend to that. I've
got lot of important work to do.
Editorials to write, news to get, lot Of
real estate transfers-and I'm going
to find out who killed Pegler and print
1t in the first issue If it takes the last
drop of blood in me. I'll show them,
first crack, that the Oklahoma Wig
wan prints all the news, all the time
knowing no law but the Law of God
and the government Of these United
States! Say, that's a pretty good
slogan. Top Of the page, just above
the editorial column"
In the end it was she who sorted
the case Of pied type. The five years
of Yancey's newspaper ownership in
Wichita had familiarized her, almost
unconsciously, with many Of the me-
chanical aspects Of a newspaper print
ing shop.
The hand press was finally set up,
and the little Job press, and the case
rack containing the type. The rollers
were in place, and their little stock
of paper. Curiously enough, though
neither Yancey nor Sabra was con-
scious of it, 1t was she who had d.
rected most of this manual work and
had indeed actually performed much
of it, with Isaiah and Jesse Hickey to
help her. Yancey would lose himself
in the placing Of his law library, his
books of reference, and his favorite
volumes, for which he contended there
was not enough shelf room in the
house proper. He had brought along
boxes of books slowed away in the
covered wagons. If the combined book
wealth contained in all the houses,
offices, and shops Of the entire Okla
homa country SO newly settled could
have been gathered in one spot 1t prob
ably would have been found to number
less than this preposterous library of
the paradoxical Yancey Cravat. Glib
and snowy though he was with his
book knowledge Yancey still had in
these volumes Of his the absorption
Of the true book lover.
Lost to all else he would call hap
PLY in to Sabra as she bent over the
case rack, her cheek streaked with
ink: ISABEL Oh, Sabe-listen to
this" He would clear his throat.
"'Son of Nestor, delight of my heart,
mark the flashing Of bronze through
the echoing halls, and the flashing Of
gold and of amber and of silver and
of ivory. Such like, methinks, is the
court Of Olympian Zeus within, for the
world of things that are here; wonder
on Cd, Sabra, it's as fine as
the Old Testament. Finer"
"'The world Of things that are
here" echoed Sabra, not bitterly, but
with grave common sense. Perhaps
II you'd pay more attention to those
and less to your nonsense in books
about gold and silver and ivory, We
might get settled"
But he was ready with honeyeG
reply culled from the same book 81
dear to his heart and his grandiloquen
tongue. "'Be not wroth with me
hereat, goddess and queen"
The goddess and queen pushed hel
hair back from her forehead with {
sooty hand, leaving still another
smudge of printers ink upon that wor
ried surface
Jesse Hickey, the printer (known
naturally, to his familiars as Gin
hickey, owing to his periods of intem
perance) and black Isaiah were, mex
to Sabra, most responsible for the as
founding fact that the Cravat famil,
finally was settled in the house ant
office. The front door, which wa
the office entrance, faced the wild
wallow of the main street. In tn
midst Of clay and refuse, in sort o
shed-kennel lived little Isaiah; rather
he slept there, like faithful dog, 70
all day long he was about the hous
and the printing Office, tireless, willing
Invaluable. He belonged to Sabre
body and soul, as completely as thoug
the Civil war had never been. A littl
servant Of twelve, born to labor. h
became as dear to Sabra. as accus
tpmsd, % one of her own children
Naapits her southern training and hi