Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 237, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 October 1916 — A Dreadful Menace [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A Dreadful Menace

By MYRTLE GREY

(Copyright. »16. by W. O. Chapman.) Albion Dare was a contented and happy man. He hud been brought up on a farm yielding a comfortable Hying. He had won Minna Royce, belle of Bayview, for his bride and now there was a two-year-old little cherub, Wnrmau. to fill the vine embowered cottage with animation all day long. Then came a new w run of what his friends called luck. He was made town marshal. John Rush, his predecessor, had become old and slow in his 'Methods. They needed a younger man to rule the police destinies of Bay view. Wot that the duties of marshal at the well ordered little village were at all active, onerous or perilous, but there was a civic pride in keeping the township clear of tramps and criminals. “All this-suits me pretty well, Minna,” said Albion to his wife. “It’s a —nix hundre<rdo!laf~salary dropped right into iny lap. It won’t interfere with me continuing to run the store.” “But suppose you have to battle with bandits, and arrest burglars, and capture murderers I” voiced Minna awesomely. - Then, slight as he was in build, mild and inoffensive as he was in hisMalkand manners, Albion smiled quietly and Replied; “I’ll try moral suasion, dear, and if that fails why—” and he exhibited the

handle of a big revolver in his hip pocket. “Oh, how brave and fearless you are!” breathed Minna, but she shuddered at a sight of the gruesome weapon. “Have you written Uncle Ben about your getting ahead?” “Yes, I thought it wouldn't harm, although lie hasn't paid much attention to us of late years. I told him, too, of little Norman—called after his middle name. A queer old fellow Is Uncle Ben. I hope he won't think we named Norman after him just to get his good will.” “Suppose lie did?” flashed forth the motherly Minna. “Is there a finer child in the world? Uncle Ben ought to be proud to know that he’s got such a smart, handsome namesake!” Albion did very well as marshal. Single handed and valiantly he captured Knifer Dodd, a troublesome footpad who had made night traveling dangerous on the roads leading into Bayview. The man was sent up, for five years and threatened “to get even” with Albion. “You serve your time like a gentleman and get good time by behaving yourself." advised Albion in his quiet, good hearted way, “and I’ll give you a new start in life after you’ve paid your debt to the state." * No answer came from Uncle Ben, but the Dares heard that he was away from home. About a month later there wtts a grand scare for Minna. She was seated chatting with Mrs. wife of the ToTinef“marslfal. the letter carrier handed her a package across the garden gate. It was directed to Jier husband,, long, round and wrapped in heavy manila paper. * “Mrs. Dare,” spoke her neighbor abruptly, “I don’t like the looks of that package.” “Why, what do you mean?” inquired Minna is surprise. “Just what 1 say. It makes me shudder, for it causes me to think of the time when my husband was marshal. He had driven a bad crowd from town and one morning weTound just such A queer looking parcel as that under the door step. It had a half burnedoat fuse bn it. My husband took it to the town hall. It was a bomb, an infernal machine —dynamite!" Minna uttered a sharp scream and mad# a movement as if to throw the package Into the street. “For mercy’s sake don’t drop It!” warned her agitated visitor. “Don’t you know it goes off by concussion and mt>> blow IW all to pieces!”

“Ooh! whatever shall I do with it?" shivered Minna. “Put it on tha- window sill on the porch,” advised Mrs. Rusli “Carefully, now. Your husband will be home soon to dinner and he will attend to it” The neighbor left and Minna sat on the lowest step of the porch with many a shuddering glance at the mysterious package. Baby was asleep in the hummock at the other end of the porch. Minna got so anxious that she went down to the gate looking longingly down the street. “Oh, there he is at last!” she exclaimed joyfully and hurried down the street to meet her husband. “Why, Minna, you look all disturbed,” spoke Albion as her trembling hand rested on his arm and he noted the unusual palor on her face. “I am nearly frightened to death,” confessed Minna. “Oh, Albion! I fear your being marshal is going to cost you enemies and danger." “Why. how is that, little woman?” “Someone, maybe the friends of Knifer Dodd, has sent you a bomb through the mail!” and Minna flutteringly described t*he arrival of the mysterious package. “U’m! we’ll look into this,” said* Albion. “Where did you say you placed it?”

“On the window sill —Albion!” fairly screamed Minna —“it’s gone!” “Why, that is strange,” commented Albion; as both reached the poreh. Thump—thump—thump! —the eyes of both were turned to the far end of the porch. Baby, it seemed, had awakened. Baby had gone out of the hammock. Baby sat pounding with something on the floor of the porch which he applied to his mouth and pounded some more. “Albion!” shrieked Mrs. Dare, “it’s the dynamite! Oh ! get it. Oh ! he’s been eating it and ft may kill him. Oh! oh! oh! and in a hysterical fit poor Minna sank into the nearest seat, overcome. She roused to her natural sejf to find her husbacrd laughing till he shook all ‘over. —He had ba by tar dlls arms and baby was crowing loudly. In his little hand he held the dreaded “dynamite stick.” Its battered end, the result of the pounding on the porch floor, had been stripped down an inch or two by papa and upon it young Norman was feasting.

“Why !” gulped Minna staring, “it’s candy!” The big red and white striped stick diffused a distinct odor of peppermint. The stick was six times the diameter of the ordinary one-center.” Albion took it from baby’s grasp and stripped off the rest of its manila covering. As he did so he brought to light a strip of letter paper. “From Uncle Ben,” he advised. “Note says, ‘biggest stick of candy I could buy.’ ’’ “Oh, Albion, how silly I have been!” breathed Minna, “I also add a small gift for my namesake. Will duplicate each year if he behaves himself.” “Norman misbehave himself! The iderr!’’ cried the fond mother. “What is it, Albion?” “A five-hundred-dollar bill,” answered Albion, fluttering the bank note in question. “Oh, it can’t be possible!” •“Look for yourself and be convinced,” ~~ “And I had my scare all for nothing,” narrated Minna to Mrs. Rush. “And Knifer Dodd had no idea of blowing us all to smithereens. And wasn't Albion brave, starting right into the jaws of danger!” “To discover an innocent stick of peppermint candy!” laughed the neighbor cheerily. “Oh, dear! it teaches us always to hope for the best, doesn’t it. now?”

“I’ll Try Moral Suasion, Dear, and if That Fails, Why—"