Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 146, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 July 1917 — Page 2

Message from Mary

By Katherine Howe

(Copyright. 1817. by W. G. Chapman.) Alvin and Mary Towne had been married 12 years, and no children had come to them. Mary, in whose heart the mother love was strong, longed for a child. One day she talked with Alvin about adopting one, but he, thinking only of the trouble it would cause, and how the order and comfort of his home would be upset, discouraged the project. He thought not of the empty .arms and yearning heart of his wife, but of his own comfort which might be disturbed. So Mary said no more, but often in the park she sat and watched the children, and sometimes talked with mothers about them. One day something terrible happened. A steamer on one of the great lakes went down, Alvin’s widowed sister was drowned, but her little child was saved. Alvin Towne seemed so stunned and stricken with the news of the loss of his only sister that Mary did not at once speak of the child. But when she thought he had grown calmer, and she could speak, she said: “Alvin, what is to be done with the child?” “Why, I don’t know,” he answered, rather hopelessly. “But there is the mother-in-law.” “A helpless, fretful invalid,” protested Mary. “That’s out of the question.” “Well, I suppose she can be put with someone who can be paid to take care of her.” , 5 “Oh, Alvin, think of the dear little thing at the mercy of strangers! Besides, you know Helen could not have left anything much. Who would pay for her care?” This proved something of a poser, the man was silent and thinking. “She couldn't be put in an asylum, you know! Oh, that would be terrible!” ~ 7 “No,” he answered, “of course not. I suppose I shall have to pay.” “Why not have her brought here till we can find a place? It might not be

What Could She Say to Him?

more than a little while,” wheedled the wily woman. Alvin saw no other way than to consent. “See what a little darling she is!” cried Mary, bringing him a photograph. “She’s nothing but a baby,” he sighed dubiously. “Oh, but that was taken quite a while ago! She must be more than three years old.” said Mary. At first Alvin growled when his sleep was disturbed, or he found his cane sticky, but the weeks lengthened into months, and years, and there was- no longer any question of letting the little one go. They formally adopted Eva, and gave her their name. When she first began to talk, Alvin was for teaching her to call him uncle, but Mary Baid: “She remembers no father or mother. Let her call us that. It is nearer, more comforting to it child.” So Mary had her way, and bothgrew 'to love her as their own. Mary had great delight in the companionship;jdfL the child. Whenthe girl was eighteen the mother she loved as her -very own passed •on to that unseen world, which for aught w$ know lies quite as near to us as the seen. Alvin Towne had always been a foolish man, and such natures often feel the keenest shock, and sense of loneliness at the loss of those they love. "In less than a year after the death of his wife he became totally (blind. Eva now had a heavy task and responsibility to shoulder. Her father fretted and chafed at any attention from a hired attendant, and Eva, deeply sympathetic with his hopelessness, became his constant and untiring companion, reading to. him, and w'alking with him every day when the weather permitted of his leaving the house. Friends, knowing of Eva’s shut-in life, began to come to the house, and enliven the evenings with music, cards, and conver&tion. The blind man en-

joyed these times, but when Eva was invited out it was another matter. While he did not actually demur at her going, he, by reproachful words or looks, showed he considered himself neglected. So the pattent, self-sacri-ficing girl blamed herself for living taken the pleasure, and stayed home more and more. Then something happened. It was Joe Whitman. Joe was about twentyfour, with a rather stubby nose, bristling brown hair, and eyes that seemed to laugh no matter how serious he tried to be. Joe was not opulent, he was slowly making his way up in lawyer's office; but everybody liked him and wanted him, which, after all, for one’s peace of mind may be better even than opulence. Eva did not seem to regard the lack of money seriously, since Joe was apparently climbing steadily toward the achievement of a decent living. She thought only of the joy. the new impetus to live which his presence gave to her. The young man was what they call “a live wire,” which really does rightly apply to those who are so much alive they make it felt by others. “For Eva he made the drab days full of sunlight. After awhile she wondered if he came only out of pity for her. Then she, knew that if it was only that it would be more cruel than death. The blind sometimes seem to develop a sixth sense, and Alvin Towne divined that she loved this man. At once he was tortured with the fear that Eva might leave him. The thought was unbearable, and one day he let her know a little of what was in his mind. “What could I do without you?” he wailed. “What could I do?” “Why think of such a thing?” she said, putting her arms around him, and laying her cheek against his. “Aren’t you all I have in the world? Why should I go away?” “Are you sure,” he urged, “there is no one else?” She protested and petted him into a happier mood. But one evening when she was letting Joe out, and was alone with him in the hall, he held the hand she gave him in good-by, and would not let it go. Her eyes fell beneath his gaze. “There’s never been any time to say it,” he said. “So it’s got to come blunt, but I mean it! I want you, girlie! Do you want me?” “I never wanted anything so much in my life!” she laughed a bit hysterically. Joe’s reply seemed to be expressed in those actions that speak louder than words; and w’hen the door finally closed Eva stood in a kind of blissful trance only to be awakened by the rather Impatient call of her father. The sight of his helplessness seemed suddenly to drop the gitl from the heights of heaven to the depths of self-reproach. What could she say to him? How could she tell him of her happiness? When Joe came the next evening she wrote upon a slip of paper, and handed it to him. He was not to speak to her father yet. Later she would explain. They wrote all sorts of funny and foolish things on the slips of paper, and laughed so over them that the father’s inquiries put Joe’s ingenuity to test in inventing answers. Eva saw that the time had come when her father could be put off no longer. . She must tell him. It would better come first from her than from Joe. The blind man hearing the confirmation of that which he had feared the worst, broke out with a pitiful wail of reproach and despair. I “But. dear!” she coaxed. “We will ! both be with -you. It will not be leav-

ing you!” “Oh, I know,” he wailed.. “You will think only of each other. That’s natural. You will forget met forget me! I'd rather be alone than that. Can’t y'ou wait a little till I’m gone? It won t be long.” Then Eva had to promise him that they would wait a while. The next time that he heard Joe was coming he refused to meet him. saying he was only in the way. He would lie down for a while, perhaps he would sleep. ! I’oor Eva had to face another trying ’ interview. Joe had grown rather ■ restive over the prolonged delay in bej Ing allowed to speak to her father. Al'though she had tried to make him understand the situation, he had begun ! to almost doubt if she really cared for him. Youth and the impatience of a lover cannot always be strictly unselfish and reasonable. So when she -told him how her father felt. and that It seemed the only thing for them was to wait, he asked in a choked voice: “Do you love me?” “Joe!” she cried. “What a cruel question!” “No!” he said, “Not so cruel as to Jiave to ask it!” g “If you think thatTYwirrnorasfrycnr Jto wait You must go your way, and ; leave me to mine,” she said, A cane struck against a chair. They turned to see Alvin Towne standing inside the room. “Wait!” he commanded. “I think I fell asleep—l don’t know —but Mary came to me. I tried to go to her, but she would not let me. Her eyes accosted me, as they never did when she was here. I got up, and found my way here. I heard what you both said. It is well Mary led me here. I have been a selfish beast. Joe Whitman! if you spoil my girl’s life —as~l came so near spoiling Mary’s—l” “Father!” broke in Eva. “Dear !” he went on, “I know you love him with your whole heart and soul! I hope he deserves it.” “I’m going to try to,” said- Joe, “and there’ll be two "of us to make you comfy.” ’ “ The blind man put out a trembling hand. “Come here, son!” he said.

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, IND.

WAR PLANTS ARE REGULATED

There Ha« Been Very Little Direct Management of Business by Great Britain and France, However. Contrary to thte common understanding in the United States there has been very little direct management of business by the governments of Great Britain and France in those countries since the war began, according to a report on “the relation of the govern-ment-to war industry,” made to the National Cjvic federation by Prof. Jeremiah W. Jenks. • There has been, however. Professor Jenks explains, a “rather strict regulation of industries producing or handling war supplies, but virtually no direct management of business outside the regular government arsenals and certain special factories, few in number, built by or for the British government. The power given the British government under the defense of the realm act is outlined in the report as follows: / “To require any work in any factory or workshop to be done in accordance with the directions of the government. “To regulate or restrict the carrying on of work in any factory or workshop or to remove the plant. “To take possession of any unoccupied premises for war purposes. "In actual practice, the government gets its work done: "By paying liberal prices to establishments for all work done while guarding against monopolistic or other extortionate prices. “By restricting or forbidding the making of certain classes of goods not needed for Afar purposes. "By prescribing rigidly the order in which the various classes of work are to be finished and delivered. “By regulating through various restrictions the distribution of the supply of iabor and the conditions under which work shall be done. “While the government does not directly manage establishments,” Professor Jenks says, “it does tell what to do, determine the order of work, control transport of goods and materials in proper order, forbid workmen who are needed for production of munitions to enlist and forbid trade except under license. "These regulations,” he says, “are enforced by a committee of subordinates acting in a friendly way by unanimous agreement,. Their _decisions are on disputed questions laid before them, and are subject to an appeal to their superior officers. Their classifications may be put into effect by employers or contractors subject likewise to an appeal. Disputes of. all kinds regarding prices, wages and conditions of labor are settled by committees representing all parties.”

Estate of Eccentric Irishwoman.

A very eccentric lady died in County Meath, says a London correspondent. After the lady’s death no will could be found, and it was thought she had died Intestate. The solicitor for the person believed to be next of kin spent about 40 days In the house going through the most extraordinary accumulation of papers, documents and valuable property that filled the rooms in the house and even the hall. Not only every room, but every corridor was piled high with loose papers, books and parcels of all sizes and descriptions, and the litter on the stairs was almost knee deep. Various sums of money were found in very peculiar and unlikely places; in rubbish on the floors, in band boxes, and in a purse, and two hank notes for £1 were actually found glued to the floor. The lawyers recovered an immense amount of property, including £7,000 in bank notes and securities of every kind. They also discovered the lady’s will, under which various charities much benefited.

Bridge Has Trestle in Center.

A bridge has,, recently been Completed by the Burlington railroad, across the Platte river at Yutan, Neb., which has girders at either end, while the center is trestlework. This unusual form of bridge construction is described in the Popular Mechanics Magazine. At Yutan the stream often overflows, becoming over half a mile wide, and in winter destructive ice jams have formed on it. With a view to providing a bridge strong enough to resist the ice and yet not excessive in cost, the width of the Platte was decreased at this point from 2,000 feet to about 1,380 feet by building an embankment ,on one side. This intensified the two currents that flowed near the two banks and automatically deepened their channels, so that the ice was more easily carded off in spring. The two current beds "xvere spanned bV girders placed on piers; set 75 sees apart, while-between these there was built a trestle 700 feet long.

In Days of Hard Drinking.

In the days of George, IV, when ability to drink hard was regarded as a mark of distinction, every glass on the table was dedicated to one dr other dignitary. <*The guest who dared to omit any part of this elaborate bacchanalianroutine was looked upon and treated as an unclubable fellow, the spirit being identical with that of the “bad man” of Bret Harte’s stories who emptied his pistol into anyone who refused to drink with him.

A Poor Counter.

••He’s an expert accountant." - “I don’t believe It” “Why not?” “I played golf with him the other day and the scores he handed in convinced me that he had never studied arithmetic.’’

WAR PLANTS ARE REGULATED

There Has Been Very Little Direct Management of Business by Great Britain and France, However. Contrary to the common understanding In the United States there has been very little direct management of business by the governments of Great Britain and France in those countries since the war began, according to a report on “the relation of the government to war industry,” made to the National Civic federation by Prof. Jeremiah W. Jenks. There has been, however, Professor Jenks explains, a “rather strict regulation of Industries producing or handling war supplies, but virtually no direct management of business outside the regular government arsenals and certain special factories, few in number, built by or for the British government. The power given the British government under the defense of the realm act is outlined in the report as follows: “To require any work in any factory or workshop to be done in accordance with the directions of the government. “To regulate or restrict the carrying on of work in any factory or workshop or to remove the plant. “To take possession of any unoccupied premises for war purposes. “In actual practice, the government gets its work done: “By paying liberal prices to establishments for all work done while guarding against monopolistic or other extortionate prices. “By restricting or forbidding the making of certain classes of goods not needed for war purposes. “By prescribing rigidly the order in which the various classes of work are to be finished and delivered. “By regulating through various restrictions the distribution of the supply of labor and the conditions under which work shall be done. “While the government does not directly manage establishments,” Professor Jenks says, “it does tell what to do, determine the order of work, control transport of goods and materials in proper order, forbid workmen who are needed for production of munitions to enlist and forbid trade except under license. “These, regulations,” he says, “are enforced by a committee of subordinates acting in a friendly way by unanimous agreement. Their, decisions are on disputed questions laid before them, and are subject to an appeal to their superior officers. Their classifications may be put into effect by employers or contractors subject likewise to ah appeal. Disputes of all kinds regarding prices, wages and conditions of labor are settled by committees representing all parties.”

Estate of Eccentric Irishwoman.

A very eccentric lady died in County Meath, says a London correspondent. After the lady’s death no will could he found, and it was thought she had died intestate. The solicitor for the person believed to be next of kin spent about 40 days in the house going through the mpst extraordinary accumulation of papers, documents and valuable property that filled the rooms in the house and even the hall. Not only every room, but every corridor was' piled high with loose papers, books and parcels of all sizes and descriptions, and the litter on the stairs was almost knee deep. Various sums of money were found in very peculiar arid unlikely places; in rubbish on the floors, in band boxes, and in a purse, and two bank notes for £1 were actually found glued to the floor. The lawyers recovered an immense amount of property, including £7,000 in bank notes and securities of every kind. They also discovered the lady’s will, under which various charities much benefited.

Bridge Has Trestle in Center.

A bridge has recently been completed by the Burlington railroad across the Platte Yutan, Neb., which has girders at either end, while the center is trestlework. This unusual form of bridge construction is described in the Popular Mechanics Magazine. At Yutan the stream often overflows, becoming over half a mile wide, and in winter destructive ice jams have formed on it. With a view to providing a bridge strong enough to resist the ice and yet not excessive <4n cost, the width of the Platte was decreased at this point from 2,000 feet to about 1,380 feet by building an embankment on one side. This intensified the two currents that flowed near the two banks and automatically deepened their channels, so that the ice was more easily carried off in spring. The two current beds were spanned by girders placed on piers, set 75 feet apart, while between these there was built a trestle 700 feet long.— -—L ~

In Days of Hard Drinking.

In the days of George IV, when ability to drink hard was regarded as a mark of distinction, every glass on the table was dedicated to one or other dignitary. The guest who dared to omit any part of this elaborate bacchanallan routine was l&oked upon and treated as an unclubable fellow, the spirit being-identical with that of the “bad man” of Bret Harte’s stories who emptied his pistol into anyone who refused to drink ■with him.

A Poor Counter.

“He’s an expert accountant.” “I don’t believe IL” “Why not?” "I played golf with him the other day and the scores he handed in convinced me that he had never studied arithmetic.”

Moscow as a Business Center

CENTRAL Russia, with Moscow, the ancient capital, as its focal point, is at' once the richest and the most thickly populated part of the country. This region contains 18 governments, covering an area of 480,000 square miles —less than one-half of the area of the Petrograd district, but with more than twice the population, viz., 45,000,000. As might be expected, says a writer in the magazine, Russia, the large towns are both larger and more numerous than elsewhere in Russia. Moscow had in 1912 a population of 1,617.000. Railway communications are, for Russia, relatively well developed here and to the south. As a place of business Moscow occupies a unique position. The interests located there control and serve the area of which the city forms literally the geographical center, in all matters of supply and demand for a mainly agricultural country; and it is through the Moscow merchants and agency houses that foreign imports are brought most directly before the consumers. With characteristic enterprise, the Moscow merchants have also organized and may be said to control the Siberian trade. Many of the most successful of her citizens are Siberian born, who find it desirable to live in Moscow to direct the financing and the purchasing end of their business operations. Manufacturers Are Powerful. Finally, industrial Russia may be said to center in this city, where the Moscow Manufacturers’ association

.alone forms almost a party in the state and. exercises a potent influence on the tariff policy of the country. This association is responsible for the Russian textile industries, which center mainly here; the iron and steel industry, and’ many other manufactures, which are financed with local capital. It was Moscow’s initiative, also, that started cotton growing in the Caucasus and central Asia, which now supply a considerable portion of the raw material of the country’s cotton trade. Th”e air of business which pervades this strange but fascinating city is attractive to a Westerner. Business men are more accessible than elsewhere. They seem to have a grip on affairs, and they pursue definite methods in their dealings, which lead to quick decision and execution. These qualities, coupled with a strong local patriotism and self-confidence, form the driving power of Moscow’s citizens, which cannot fall to secure for the city an ever-increasing Influence in the political and economic development ot The dissimilarity of the Petrograd ' jj ' ------~■ - - ~

THE SLAVIANSKY BAZAR

and Moscow markets is marked. Broadly, Petrograd disposes of a higher class of article at corresponding prices. Moscow’s clients belong mainly to the peasant class —to the inhabitants of the rural towns, whose wants are restricted, if not primitive, and who are in the stage when new wants and habits are forming. This does not necessarily lessen the range and variety of the articles desired —rather the contrary. But the attractiveness! of the articles, rather than the quality* appeals, and cheapness is an all-deter-mining factor. This attitude was cleverly grasped and exploited by the German trader, and In this connection,, nowhere else so much as in Moscow is the evidence of German adaptability, and of German trade “penetration” of Russia more apparent. . Moscow’s stores were full of German goods. Large numbers of these stores were obviously German, while the representatives of German houses in the district must have been numbered by thousands. In Moscow’s best department store, the largest in Russia, which was founded by Scotsmen in the forties of the last century, and is still conducted under British management, probably 60 per cent of the foreign goods on sale have been of German manufacture. The range of retail prices paid, and the quality which satisfies even the good class in Moscow, are distinctly lower than in the betterclass trade of Petrograd. Center of the Fur Trade. Moscow is the chief fur center for Russia, and there is a tendency,

A GROCERY STORE

towards a gradual transfer of the ness of subsidiary fur markets,* like the Irbit and the Nizhni-Novgorod fairs, to Moscow. A movement has been initiated by thfe fur section of the Moscow chamber of commerce and industry To. render the Russlan fur industry in future independent of the Leipzig market, Leipzig has hitherto taken largely the Russian raw furs; has treated and finished them, and has resold the finished product again to Moscow. In future Moscow purposes to do more of the finishing process hgrself, and is endeavoring also to get into touch with London, New York, St. Louis and other important fur-producing and furimporting centers, for the purpose of direct business dealings. Moscow can under normal conditions supply finished furs such as squirrel, squirrel tails, ermine, marteff, stone and baum _ marten, hares, Persian lamb, etc. Russia, as Is well known, is a very large buyer of fur goods/~~

There have been several instances of sleeps lasting 20 years.