Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 145, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 June 1916 — Page 3

The Stolen Treaty

By H. M. EGBERT

(Copyright. 1918. by W. G. Chapman.) Imbrie passed his hand over his daipp forehead and stared at the paper in his hand. He could not believe either his eyes or the good fortune which had placed it there. A subordinate clerk in the war office at Washington, Imbrie had faced life on a salary* of $25 weekly. This was his sole means of support for himself and Dolly, his pretty young wife, as well as Dolly’s mother, who lived with them. He had been shifted into a new department recently—that in touch with the secretary of state’s office. Of course Imbrie never saw the great man himself, or anyone but an occasional permanent under-secretary. For weeks Imbrie had been a prey to increasing despair. There had been Dolly’s Jong illness, after their little son had been born and died a few hours later. Like every man with=a government position, Imbrie had found it not at all difficult to negotiate a loan with a money lender at an exorbitant interest. He had paid off the loan by increasing it; then, rendered desperate, he had gone to another money lender, and then another. He had no notion that all three were watching him and dividing the money that came to them every pay day, while the capital actually Increased in

“Take It to the Devil.”

volume. Imbrie was paying $lO a ■week, and the hundred which he had borrowed originally had swollen to three hundred.' He had not dared let Dolly know, and though she had looked surprised at the diminishing returns each pay day, Imbrie had invented a heap of excuses. However, the crisis was almost at hand. Then, a few days before, a little, dark-haired man, who looked like a cross between a Chinaman and a Portuguese, had accosted him as they were leaving the street car together. He seemed to know Imbrie very well and had drawn him aside and made a proposition which made the pulses throb in Imbrie’s cheeks. “It will be nothing dishonorable,” he said. “It is only what everybody does. Think, my friend, Is it reasonable that your government should intrust Its secrets to a man whom it pays a beggarly sllO a month?” “But I don’t know anything about It,” faltered Imbrie. “I shall see that you know. Think again. A man’s work—a big man’s work on an office boy’s pay. Besides, jit is not as if you were betraying anything. My government knows all about this Chinese treaty, but it requires its suspicions to be confirmed. You will confirm them, but you will betray nothing.” “I tell you—” Imbrie began. “In proof of what I say I have arranged that the treaty be placed in your hands for copying tomorrow. And your money difficulties will b> at an end. Look at this —come under the lamp and look!” He counted out 50 hundred-dollar bills and placed them in Imbrie’s hands. Imbrie’s hands, clutching feverishly at them, trembled. “You see, you are dealing with gentlemen who trust you,” the stranger continued. “And if you prove false — which is Impossible—we shall know how to punish you. Also, we shall know if it is the genuine treaty you bring us.” ■ ' Before Imbrie had quite understood the gist of the proposition the little man was gone, leaving him to his soliloquies, his bribe and Dolly’s anxious face. It was in the sleepy part of the day the following afternoon that the high official entered and looked about the room. "Here, Mr. Imbrie,” he said, laying down a closely typewritten paper before him. "Copy this, will you? R T s rather confidential and we must have some more copies. Make a couple of carbons and don’t let anyone see.

Bring them to me when you have finished.” Imbrie stared at the paper. It was the secret treaty with China which the Japanese government would have sold its soul to obtain. Imbrie made an extra carbon eopy and slipped it into his pocket. He took the remainder in to the high, official, and, side by side, they compared the copy with the original. Imbrie went home in a daze. Dolly and he had long talked of what they would do if ever, by some miracle, $5,000 were to come to them. They had envisaged a pretty little farm in Virginia, with roses growing up the walls, a horse and buggy and fields of corn and peach trees. And now all this seemed about to come to pass. As he stepped off the car the little Japanese came up to him. Silently Imbrie slipped the carbon copy into the man’s hand and left him. A month passed. Imbrie had told Dolly that his uncle had died and left him that $5,000 which they had always talked about and never hoped for. Dolly was delighted. The color came back into her cheeks. She was happy. But in Imbrie’s heart was the burning shame of betrayal. It was three months before he sent in his resignation. He wanted to allay suspicion. He expected to be watched. He had omitted to discharge his debt to the money lenders for fear that he would come under suspicion Tt required all his courage to send in notice. Then, toward the end of his last month, he began to realize what his treachery meant. He knew that, under the official silence, somebody was suspected, somebody was watched, somebody was suffering wrongly for his abominable deed. He could not endure his position. And he told Dolly. He confessed to her one evening when she had questioned him about his distress. He told her that there could be no future for them upon the money earned by his betrayal of his native land. He bowed his head when he had ended, for he expected that Dolly would herself denounce him. But when he raised his head after a long silence, it was ta see Dolly standing beside him, her face expressive of pitying wonder. •‘The bitter thing is that you did it for me, Ronald,” she said, and suddenly dropped to her knees. "Ronald, dearest, you know now what you must do. - ” "But, Dolly—” "I know. You are going to say that my happiness is worth more than the nation. But it isn’t, it Isn’t.” “I have made purchases. I have resigned my position. We shall be beggars, even after I have served my term of imprisonment.” “At least, Ronald, we can hold up our heads,” she answered proudly. On the following morning Imbrie went down to the office with a resolution to which he had come, as a result of his talk with his wife. He would confess everything; and the $5,000 he would turn into charity. The world’s weight seemed to have been lifted from his shoulders. Washington had never seemed so beautiful, nor life so free. He looked 10 years younger as he went to his desk, and his fellow clerks, too, noticed the change in him.

It was a long and difficult wait till he was able to see the high official who had given him the treaty to copy. As he kicked his heels in the man’s office, watching dignitaries come and go, a little sense of resentment began to assail him. What right had Mr. Mowbray had to place temptation in his path—in his, a $25 clerk’s? Would not anyone with a sick wife have been tempted too? And tie had worked himself up to such a degree of anger that he had almost decided to turn back when Mr. Mowbray’s secretary came out and ushered him in. The great man was sitting alone at his desk, and his face was quite impassive; but there was a cynical smile upon the lips of the secretary as he sat down beside him. Mowbray, idly turning over the pages of a document 1 , did not look up for an unconscionable time. All the while Imbrie was growing more and more uncomfortable. At last he could no longer endure the suspense. “Mr. Mowbray!" he blurted out. Mowbray looked up. “Yes?” he inquired blandly. Then Imbrie told Mm, without extenuation.

When he had ended speaking Mowbray turned to the secretary. "Will you read me that letter from File 13 ?” he asked. The secretary read it. It was from the head of Imbrie’s department. “With regard to our conversation of yesterday, I can suggest nobody better than Mr. Imbrie of our department. He is a fellow of poor character and in debt, as I have ascertained, to money lenders. I have little doubt that he can be trusted to betray the document to the person in question.” Imbrie stood dumfounded. “It’s all right, Mr. Imbrie,” said Mowbray. “That was a fictitious treaty which we wanted to get into the hands of a certain government.” “Then you have led me on to betray my country ak I supposed,” blurted out Imbrie. “We had to,” answered Mowbray, his thin lip curving in a scoffing smile. “That’s what men of your type are employed for." “What about the $5,000?” “Take it to the devil,” said Mr. Mowbray. Dazed, bewildered, but conscious of his intense humiliation, Imbrie went out into the sunlight.

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN,.

WILBERT ROBINSON SEVERE TASKMASTER

Leader of Brooklyn Dodgers and Some of His Players.

There always has been an impression that Wilbert Robinson was an easy boss and that as such his men will play on him with the result that the athletes shirk their duty to the detriment of Brooklyn’s pennant interests. Any number of fans can be found who will declare in favor of a taskmaster like McGraw and against a suave manager like Robby. They hold the opinion that ball players must be driven slavelike if a club is to be a winner. Kid-gloving them gets nothing in the end but the horse laugh. Recent events have proved, however, that Robby is less solicitous of the feelings of his men than in other years, writes Len Wooster in the Brooklyn Times. While he still applies the salve and is ever ready to bestow praise for a clever piece of work he is driving his team harder

WON’T CHANGE HIS PITCHERS

Manager Jennings of Tigers Gives Reasons for Not Removing Hurler Who Gets Poor Start. Hughie Jennings, the keeper of the Jungle team, says that he has been panned a lot for keeping pitchers on

Manager Hughie Jennings.

the hill when the batters have found their range, but explains his motives with some sound reason. “When I announce the pitcher to start the game,” said Jennings, “he is the best man I have for that day’s work. If they hit him they will probably hit the next one I offer them. These one-inning bursts win games sometimes, but if you don’t win and you throw away a couple of pitchers, you are up against it when the double-deckers come along." ——*—

WOULD TABOO ‘TROT’ STEALS

Move Foot to Eliminate Unwarranted Purloining of Bases in One-Sided Games. ~ 1 .There’s a movement on foot for a new rule that will cut down the basestealing averages of athletes who get a chance to bolster this percentage by trotting from sack to sack when they get on in the ninth inning and their team is hopelessly behind. , For years it has been understood among ball players that catchers won’t {even try to get runners out under such circumstances. These pilfered sacks don’t help to win the game and they’rg a regular joke. And yet a< few such donated steals may enable the lucky player to lead the league in base running, nosing out some player who has had to work for every steal. The rulemakers have J’Mjislated out credit for a steal wheh the other half of an attempted double steal fails, and now they are figuring how. to word a rule to cover this other scoring evil. - ■. . :

and compelling every man in a regular berth to step right up to the top notch of his ability. Failure to meet requirements carries with it the ignominy of a job at bench warming. Ollie O’Mara was given two days only to establish his worth to the team. The same limit was set for Gus Getz. Casey Stengel was somewhat short of the standard and Jimmy Johnston was given the assignment in right field. Zack Wheat is under surveillance. The noted caretaker of the left wing of the outer defense is cutting very little figure in batting and his fielding lacks the snap of old times. Robby is determined to land Brooklyn a winner if it’s in the team. He is experimenting with that object in view. Robby is playing the cards for a winner, and expects every man to do his part or suffer the consequences.

BASEBALL NOTES

“Fritz” Maisel is showing improvement in his outflelding. • ■ * ♦ Ty Cobb says that it Is easier to steal third base than any other. • • ♦ Napoleon Lajoie is convinced that Home Run Baker has not gone back. • • • Manager Jennings says his team will show marked improvement soon. * • * “Heinie” Zimmerman, the Cubs’ third baseman, has struck his batting stride. • • • Barney Dreyfuss denies the report that he contemplates retiring from baseball. • • • The big asset on Mike Kelley’s Saints is big Phil Douglas, when he behaves. • • • The record of the Red Sox hitters is really the best of the American league circuit. • * * If the transfer of Speaker is good for the game why not transfer Cobb to the Athletics? • • • All things come to him who waits — when he’s hitting against a pitcher who has lost control. * •_ * Jack Graney of the Cleveland Indians will be passing Tris Speaker if he keeps up the pace. “Mike” Kelly has added strength to his St. Paul outfield by signing Walter Cruise of the Cardinals. • • • Don’t get Markle of the Yanks mixed with Merkle of the Giants. The Yankee man is a pitcher. • • • Griffith’s Senators are reasonably certain to get a square deal as long as Judge remains on the job. ♦ ♦ ♦ Jimmy Johnston, who played the garden for the Cubs some time ago, is doing fine work for the Dodgers. • • « McGraw is dickering for a pitcher, named Worm. Maybe Mac figures he will make good crawling out of holes. • * * Lee Fohl’s Indians didn’t lift any scalps last season, but they’ve put on some hair-raising finishes this season. • • • “Terry” Turner, the veteran infielder, is about the liveliest member of the Cleveland Indians at the present time. * • • Pleh and Egg form the short-order battery for Newark. Pleh is not of the lemon variety and Egg is hard to beat • * * Pitcher George Dumont of the Washington team is now a real big leaguer—he has had his tonsils removed. Ty Cobb is great in every' department except one. He is the weakest player in the league wheq. it. comes to tagging base runners. Harry Coveleskie Is running Walter Johnson a close second already as a rescue pitcher. He is a truck horse for working overtime.

SCORING IS BLAMED

Pittsburgh Writers Criticize St % Louis Official. Think Pitcher Babe Adame Should Have Credit for No-Hit GameCorps of League Scorers Would Solve Problem. Official scoring in the baseball world Is again causing trouble. It started right here in St. Louis when Pittsburgh writers criticized the work of the local official at the Cardinal park for not giving Babe Adams a no-hit game. One dinky hit, that many thought was an error by Schultz, was the sole black mark against the Pirate hurler, writes Ed Wray in St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The present system is truly faulty. Scorers are appointed by home clubs. They are Invariably working newspaper men. Sometimes, as in this city, the same man is not on duty in all games, but the job is "split,” representatives of several papers taking turns at the task. Thus several individualities may enter into the scoring in the same town. Pittsburgh writers suggest that the league select a paper, without permitting anyone to know which one it i?, and take its box scores from that publication. It is argued that the scorers would then each give his own version, without waiting for the official on it. But this would only confuse fans who want one ruling on plays and that an official one. And they are entitled to it. The obvious course, if the scoring is not satisfactory, is to take it out of the scribes’ hands and establish a corps of league scorers, each to be assigned io certain series, just as are the league umpires. There is absolutely no reason why this should not be done now, even allowing for the expense.

WHAT THEY COST

Tris Speaker, Boston Americans, bought by Cleveland; price said to be more than $50,000. Eddie Collins, Philadelphia Athletics; bought by Chicago White Sox, 1915; $50,000. Frank Baker, Philadelphia Athletics, bought by New York Yankees, 1916; $35,000. Joe Tinker, Cincinnati Nationals; bought by Brooklyn; 1913; liever reported; $25,000. Marty O’Toole, St. Paul American association; bought by Pittsburgh, 1912; $22,500. Larry Chappelle, Milwaukee American association; bought by Chicago White Sox, 1913; $lB,000. Lefty Russell, Baltimore, International league; bought by Philadelphia Athletics, 1913; $12,000. Fritz Maisel, Baltimore, International league; bought by New York Yankees, 1913; $12,000. Rube Marquard, Indianapolis, American association; bought by New York Giants, 1913; SII,OOO.

SCOOPS CAREY “CLEANED UP”

Responds to Urgent Rooting of His MOther-in-Law by Banging Out Three-Base Hit. Scoops Carey’s four hits at St. Louis in one game of the opening series is a reminder of an Incident involving his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Behrens. They live in St Louis, and Scoops spends the winter there. Carey came up with the bases

Scoops Carey.

full in the ninth and his mother-in-law, Mrs. Behrens, cried in kind tones: “Ach, Scoops, hit it and clean up.” "Is Scoops your son?” asked a man alongside. “No, sir,” replied Mrs. Behrens. “He is my son-in-law.” “Then we’ll all root for him,” exclaimed the man. Scoops tripled and won the game while all the St. Louis crowd yelled.

HOME TOWN HELPS

DENOTES RIGHT CIVIC SPIRIT Minneapolis Does Well in Honoring the Memory of Public-Spirited Citl- . zen Who Deserved Well. Over in Minneapolis the other day they unveiled a monument to the memory of a man named Rowley. Ws didn’t hear anything about it over thia way, but in Minneapolis It was quite an event. This man Rowley, you see, was not a national character. He waa just a plain citizen of Minneapolis. He was the man' who gave that city it# electric railway system. He was one of the builders of that thriving community. He was one of the men with the vision and the foresight, who helped lay the foundation stones of the metropolis of Minnesota. The people of Minneapolis are showing their appreciation for his worth and his sterling qualities. There are not very many cities in the country where monuments are unveiled to the memory of street railway magnates. Usually they are damned while they live and forgotten when they die. Other communities might profit by the example of Minneapolis. There such men as Rowley and others builded a city for no other particular reason than, that they wanted a city there. And, as a city, it is not yet 50 years old, but it has a population of 300,000 and is growing every day. Minneapolis has the right civic spirit and never demonstrated it in a better way than by erecting a monument to the memory of one of its own good citizens. —Huron Times-Herald.

ART IN HOUSE TERRACING

Subject That Deserves Much Thought, as It Will Make or Mar Appearance of Home. Terraces, particularly house terraces, which are all those upon small grounds, belong to architecture, and. should therefore be kept closely in. connection with Its kind. All house terraces, those close about or parallel to buildings, belong to the structure adjacent and should be kept as close up as possible. Terraces usually allow for a liberal bed of plants next to the buildings, then a path, a level apron of equal or slightly greater width on the outside of path, and then the terrace, If there be but one, drops down into the field. If there be more than one terrace each successive one as they leave the building must be broader than the one above, and thus they drop by ever-easing and more generous extent to the field below. This field does not mean a vast extent, but wtiat remains of the premises. The mistake is often made, and it is a serious one, of building the terrace broader than the field, a reversal of art that is inveighed against by every authority who has written upon the subject.

For Better Housing of Aliens.

Prizes aggregating $2,100 have been offered by the National Americanization committee in a contest for plans for the housing of immigrants in industrial towns. Two groups of prizes are offered. The first covers plans for the housing of workmen in industrial communities not exceeding a population of 35,000. Entries may include designs for single family houses, combined family and lodging houses which, will permit separation of the family from the lodgers or boarding houses or community dwellings for numbers of single men or of single women. The first prize in this group is SI,OOO, the second SSOO and the third, fourth and fifth SIOO each. Competitors are to assume that the community is a new one produced by a new industry —most of the workmen to be needed permanently and the rest, as construction gangs, from two to five years only. Welfare of the tenant and low cost are the two important considerations urged by the committee. Wages of the workmen are assumed to be from. $2 a day to S2O a week. The second group of prizes is offered for a satisfactory substitute for the derailed freight and cattle cars now used to house construction gangs on railways. In this group the first prize is S2OO and the second prize SIOO.

How a Builder Financed Operations.

A reader of the Home Builders’ page writes as follows in explaining ■ how he financed his home building: "First I ‘caught’ my building siteand drew plans for house and barn to fit it. Next I made application for a loan to a co-operative bank, showed the land and the plan to the invesment committee and subscribed for the requisite number of shares. The bank agreed to let me have the money in installments at various stages. “I then went to my bank of deposit and borrowed money as I needed it, on short-time notes, to pay cash as I went along, where I could get 2 per cent off for cash, and called on the cooperative bank for money when I wanted tot pay the notes. ?-?■ “In that way I got a numbar of ad-, vantages in buying and saved a good many dollars. I could buy of total strangers by giving my bank as reference.” —Boston Herald. < s