Indianapolis Times, Volume 35, Number 165, Indianapolis, Marion County, 20 November 1922 — Page 8

8

A Hoosier Chronicle ‘ By MEREDITH NICHOLSON First Novel in thè Times Series of Fiction Stories by Indiana Writers (Copyright, 1912. by Meredith Hicholson.)

, . STNOrSIS STLYLA GARRISON. 10year-old grand- , dumeti ver ut PROFESSOR KELTON. leeturer at Madison College, Montgomery. knows nothing ®t ber Use belare rnakln? ber home with Ww. Ari unusual erenv of whleh Sylvia ls not to know ls Ih mysterious visi! ut a stranie young mali who deilvere an un- j Stgned letler to her grandiather. slating ! rii offer whleb he declines to accept. Svi via, so far, has had only euch stuoie aa her grandlather has giren her. and it !s agTeed upoo tirai ehe attend college for social as w eli as educational adrancement. SylvSa la to malie her home wlth MRS. JACKSON' OWEN ut Indianapolis,'fa milltariy known by ber servauts as “Miss Sally"—a practlcal vridow who luakes farmlns her business. DB WAN'DLESS. presidenV emerltus et Madison College. Sylvia meets MARIA? BAS-ETT, Mrs. Owen's eultured and much trarelled grand nleoe, who ls attendine a Miss Waring e ScboeL Marlan’s mother, MRS. MORTO? BaSSETT, rune a woman s club in Fraeervllle. and ls a proaiiuent finire In thè fAlerallun. ADMIRAL MARTIN, a retlred ofTleer of thè Navy. and hls sliy little wlfe. old friend of Mrs. Oweo and thè professor, are dlaner sruests. Thls was thè first tlme that any one except her grandfattaer had ver spoken to Sylvia of her mother, and thè words of these strangers thrllled. her strangely and caused thè tears to shlne suddenly In her eves. It was all ©ver In a moment, ?or Mrs. Martin, Seelng Sylvia’s trembUng lips, changed thè subject qulckly. The laat guest was Just enterlng,— a tali trapper-like man who crossed thè room to Mra Owen wlth a long, curisus stride. Sylvia was riverì then as later to qulck appraieements, and she Uked thè Rev. John Ware on thè instant. He dtd not look or act or talk In thè lenst ÌUce a mlnister. He was very dark, and hls mustache was only faintly fcprinkled wlth gray. Hls halr etili j Showed black at a dlstance, though he Was slxty-flra. There were candìee and fiowers on thè round table, and thè dlshes and Silver were Mrs. Owen’s "company j beat," whleh was very good Indeed. ! The a (Unirai and Professor Kelton sat ; at Mrs. Owen’s rlght and left, and Sylvia sound herself hetween thè min-, leter and thè sdraimi. The talk was et once brisk and generai. The adtnlral’s voice boomed out trwnendous- i Iv and when he laughed thè glasses Jlngled. Every one was In thè beat of spirita and Sylvia was relleved to flnd that her grandfather was enjoyIng hlmself Immensely. The admlral’s Jokes harked back to old tlmes. when he and Kelton were at thè Naval Academy, or to thelr adventures In thè War. It was odd to hear Mrs. Owen and thè admlraJ calllng her grandfnther “Andrew" and “Andy:" no one else had ever done that; and both men uddre*<sed Mrs. Owen as “Sally.“ “We’ve kepi bosses out of thls State ptetty well." Professor Kelton was •aytn*. "but I can see one or two pentlemen on both sldes of th fence trylng to play that game. I don’t beUeve thè people of Indiana wlll subir Jt to It. The bosses need big olito to prey on and we aren'f big enougli for them to work In and hlde In We all Uve In thè open and we're mostly seaaoned American stock who wont be driven Uke a lot of forelgn cattlo. Thls city Isn’t a country town any longer. but lt's stili American. I don'* i know of any boss here.” "Well. Sally how ebout Mori Bassetti’ asked thè admlral. “I hupe you don't mlnd my speaklng of hlm. ’ j “Not In thè sUghtest.’ Mrs. Owen repUed. “The fact that Morton Bassett mar ri ed my nlece doesn’t make it necessary for ut to approva of allj he doe#—and 1 don’t." “B&ssett lsn*t a bad fellow." remarked Ware ‘Tou can hardlv cali hlm a boss In thè usuai sense of thè terra.

"Persoiiallv he’ certalnly very agreeable," sai<3 Mr. Martin "You remember. Mra. Owen, I vislted your nlece thè laat Urne I was home and I ne ver saw a man more de voteci to bla family than Mr. Bassett." “There’ no complaint about that,” Mrs Owen assented. “And Mortone a very tntelllgent man. too; you mlght even cali hlm a etudent. I’ve been eorry that he didn*t keep to thè law; but he’a a money-maker, and he’s In politica aa a part of hls business.” "l’ve wondered,” eald Professor Kelton, “Just what he's almlig at. Most of these men are ambltlous to go high. Wesk men don’t dominate politicai partles.” “Thia politicai game look* mlghfy qneer to me." thè admlral remarked. “I’ve ne ver voted in my lise. Do yen vote, Mr. Ware?" "Oh, yea! I’m ose of these sentimentalista who trles to vote for thè best man Naturally no man I ever vote for Is elected.” "If I voted 1 shouid want to see thè m-n firn,” Mrs Owen averred "I ahould ask hlm how much he ex pected to make out of thè Job." “You'd be a tartar In politica, Sally." ea <d thè admlral. "The Oovemor told me thè otber day that when he beare that you're comlng to thè Staiehouse to talk about thè woman’s riformatory—or whatever lt ls you’re trustee cf —he crawls under thè table." Sylvia was anxioue to know thè rest of thè story. "1 hope they gave you thè money, Mrs. Owen," sha suid. "Did they glve lt to me? Why, chlld. they ralsed lt $20,00.0!” “There's Ed Thatcher: lt mlght tickle hi nito go to thè Senato particularly if he had a score to clean up in connection wlth lt." remarkei Ware. ‘•Just what do you mean by that?” asked thè admlral. ‘•\VeU.” Ware replled. ’*he and Bassett are as thick as thieves Just nnw In business operations. If some day lt carne about that they didn’t get on so well,—if Bassett tried to drop him. a a eay he haa sometimes dropped •ne when. he didn’t have any more use for them, —then Thatcher’s sportlng blood mlght usseri ltself. I shouid be sorry for Bassett if that Urne carne.” “Edward Thatcher knows a horee,” Mrs Owen. "I Like Edward Thatcher.” “I've flshed wltb Bassett." eald thè .alnlster. "A good flsherman ought to make a good polltician; there e a lot, I guess. In knowing Just how to balt thè hook, or where to drop thè fiy. and how to play your flsh. And Bassett is a man of surprislng tastes. He’ a bock collector—rare editlons and fine bindlngs and that sort of thlng." *Ta tt posslble! The newspapere that aouse him ne ver mentlon those j

thlngs, of course.” suld Mrs. Martin. A brlef restraint fell upon thè company, as they realized suddenly that they were discussing thè husband of thelr hostess’ nlece, whom thè oppo 6ltlon presa declared to be thè most vicious character that had ever appeared In thè public lise of thè State. They rose and adjoumed to thè veranda. where thè men Ughted clgars. • “I think I llke thls corner best,” remarked Ware when thè other had dlsposed them sei ves. “Miss Sylvia, won’t you sit by me?’’ She watched hls face as thè match flamed to hls elgar. It wa§ deep-llned and rusrged, wlth high cheek bones, that showed plalnly when he shut hls Jaws. It occurred to Sylvia that but for hls mustache his face would have been almost typically Indlan. She had aeen somewhere a photograph of a Sioux chlef whose austere countenance was very Uke thè mlnister’s. Ware dld not flt lnto any of her preconcelved ldeas of thè clerica! office. Dr. Wandless, thè retlred president of Madison College, was a mlnister, and any one would have known lt, for thè fact was proclalmed by his dress and manner; he mlght. In thè most casual meeting on thè campus, have ralsed hls hands In benedictlon wlthout doing anythlng at all extraordlnary. Ware belonged to a striklngly different order, and Sylvia did not understand hlm. He had been a soldier; and Sylvia could not lmaglne Dr. Wandless in a cavalry charge. Ware flung thè match-stick away and settled hlmself comfortably lnto hls chalr. The „ others were talklng amongst themselves of old tlmes. and Sylvia experienced a eense of rase and security In th ministeri company. “Those people aerose there are talking of th# Hooslers that uaed to be. and about thè good folks who carne lnto thè wllderness and made Indiana 'a commonwealth. I’m a pllgrim and a stranger comparatlvely speaklng. I’m not a Hoosier; are you?” “No. Mr. Ware; I was barn In New York City." “Ho 1 T mlght have known there was some sort of tle between us. I was boni In New York myself—’way up In th# Adlrondack country. You’ve heard of Old John Brown? My father’s farm was only an houris march from Brown’s place. I used to see thè old man. and tt wasn't my fault I wasn’t mlxed up In some of hls scrapèe. Father caueht me and took me home—dldn’t see any reason why I should go off and get kllled wifh a crazy man. Didn’t know Brown was golng to be lmmortal.” “There must hsve be#n a good manv people that dldn’t know lt," Sylvia responded. She hoped that Ware would talk of hlmself and of thè war. but In a moment hls thoughta took a new direction. "Stars are fine tonlght. It’s a comfort to know they’re up there all thè tlme. Know Matthew Arnold’# poems? He says ’Wlth Joy thè qtars perform thelr shlnlng.’ I llke that Wonder what that ls. Just across thè farthest tip of that maple? It’s famlUar. but I can’t nume it." “That," salti Sylvia, “la Cassiopeio." “I know se verni, or I think I da. Thls ls Juna That’s th# North Star over thè polnt of that tree, as you said, and above lt ls Ursa Minor, and windlng In and out between lt and thè Big Dlpper ls Dmsco. Then to thè cast, hlgher up, are Cygnus, I,yra, and Aquila. And In thè west —■" She paused, feeling that she had satisfied thè amenltlee of conversation with thls gentleman who had so trankly state/! hls lack of knowledge. Ware struck hls knee wlth hls hand and chuckled.

"I shouid say you do know a few! Vou’ve mentloned some I’ve nlways wanted to get acqualnted wlth. Now go back to Cygnus, thè Bwan. I llke thè name of that one; I must be aure to remember lt.” As their range of vtelon on thè veranda was circumscribed, Ware suggested that they step down upon thè lawn to get a wlder sweep, a move whloh attracted thè attentlon of thè others. "Sylvia be careful of thè wet. Josephus Just moved thè sprinkler and thè ground is soaked.” “Don’t cali attentlon to our feet; ! our heads are In thè stara,’’ answered j Ware. "I must teli thè Indlan boys i °h thè Nlplgon about thls," he eald : to Sylvia as they returned to thè ■ veranda "I didn’t know anybody ! krtew as much aa you do. You make ine ashamed of myself." "You needn’t ba,” laughod Sylvia. "Very Ukely most that I’ve told you ls wrong. I’m glad grandfather | didn’t hear me." The admlral and Professor Kelton were launched upon a fresh exchange of remlnlscences and thè return of Ware and Sylvia did not dlsturb them. It seetned, however, that Ware was & famous story teller, and when he had Ughted a fresh clgar he recounted a number of adventures, speaklng tu hls habltual. dry, matter-of-fuct tone, and wlth curlous unexpected turns of phrase. Conversatlon in Indiana seems to drlft lnto story-telllng lnevltably. Thls kind of social lntercourse. wlth Ita Intimate talk, thè reference to famous publlc characters, as though they were only human beings aster all, thè anecdotal interchange, was wholly novel to Sylvia. She thought Ware’s storie much droller than thè admlral’a, and quite as good as her grandfather’s, whlch was a great concesslon. The mlnister was beginning a new story. He knocked thè ashes from hls clgar and threw out hls arms wlth one of hls odd, jerky gestures. \ “There’s a good deal of fun In llvlng In thè woods. Up In thè Adlrondacks there was a lot for thè boys to do when I was a youngster. I Ilked wlnter better than summer; school was In winter. but when you had thè fun of flghtlng big drifts to getto lt you didn’t mind getting ticked aster you got there. The silence of night in thè woods, when thè snow is deep, thè wlnd stili, and thè moon at full, ls thè solemnest thlng In thè world. Not really of thls world, I guess. "But I was golng to say that one night—must have been when I was 1-4 —I had some fun wlth a bear.” Sylvia did not hear thè reet of tb story. She had been slttlng In thè shadow of thè porch, wlth her lip. apart, llstening, wonderlng, durlnt. thls prelude. Ware’s ref^renc-a^the

DOINGS OF THE DCTFS—

ft-BH] f*OU WIU. TMROW r a /VOO-D SETTER SET \ \X-ST y l lì? PILUOW3 AT VOOfI j L ( A MOVE ON |WÌ] ( *j f Vj/S/À N°W\WE FE J _ ||j( daddt j II ru set vou! g" ÌLpfl (OV '/ / \ even* J !~j

N ( NO WONDER 1 \ OIDN' get anv ( | l ||!llll!LiLXiiii;;iii!i!ìlll l ’ WAPD,/ 1 j . I nicmo^siNmNOS~foro his Own bill pogtìng when herung FOR OFFICE HERE AFTER. j

THEM DAYS IS GONE FOREVER—*

Tne I RGCALL TA€ OLD-TIMe MMV 1 I 60WOJ, ALTHOU6H THCV CCST DRESS WITH FIFTV 6uTTCA)S" IHOOEI. SPOVS£ IfJW A CQftSr t A LOT OF JACK— POtAO ~W€ SACK- * wl 1 " *"

jss* M fessi -, AUNT SARAH PEA&ODV TOCK CREDIT FOR SELLINO, TEN TÌCKETS FOR THE LOCXSE SUPPER 70 BOYS JN “THE Ivi}/A TWT SHOP, WHEN THE CREDIT WAS DUE ~TD A SMART * TRICK OF MARSHAL OTEY WALKER )

North woods had touched llghtly some lim memory of her own; somewhere she had seen moon-flooded, snowy .voodlands where silence lay upon thè vorld as soft as moonlight ltself. The deture drawn by thè minister had -een vlvld enough; for a moment her iwn memory of a almilar winter landcape seemed equally clear; but she realized wlth lmpatlence that lt taded

OUT OUR WAY—By WUjLIAMS

THE OLD HOME TOWN—By STANLEY

qulckly and became dim and illusory, llke a scene in un ill-lighted steroptl* con. It troubled her, as such mlrages of memory trfmble all of us; but Ware llnlshed hls story, and amld thè laughter that followed Mrs. Martin rose. "Late hours, Sylvia," sald Professor Kelton when tHioy were alone "It’s nearly eleven o’clock and Urne to tjum In." J9R

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

CTptnre This On Your Clarìnet

CHAPTER IV Andrew Kelton put out hls hand to say goodnlght a moment aster Sylvia had vanlshed. "Sit down, Andrew,” sald Mrs. Owen. "It’s too early to go to bed. That driaft’s not good for th© back of your head. Slt over here." Ho had relax ed aster thè departure guest and looked tired

Havtn , Fun

FRECKLES AND HIS FRIENDS—By BLOSSER

0- DINJOO 'TUAT T f PoP ; VA KNCWJ ’JWAT V| lS A 1 \ Sp r ruv Jr l'NAtfr SAMTy ciauS II sonwmuaT J Sn t ima* T mas w m y^jrrmg L Wl, I JAW A FETIU si Jff/w *UE W CMESTiIàS? yj [auarp-ses, \ Iwatomeaeth ", IWkWtAWiVS T ? -TUEv3-At>Atv \ì 00*0 mur y M ) BieonE INANSUKf J 7 T if V

SPlki A LOCAL“TOP \ Y A TOKOPROVJ kHGVJT KTk \ ’ < IDDGE 9MOKER, I 1 l<\D A| A DtKE iÌ VoU'D “TWINK ' 'MWJTVoUTb BECERE X'LL BE THERE \ d A TTo SEE HIM COULI> AU' SEE. HIM PART His WATcH VOIJ \ n| M9 RKcJgR 5:109 SkloW UAIP? ( Oki My iaLOV/E e TRIM TUAT VJICK- A HAhTDFUL LJ VJiT4 Here s th' tickets ( ah t‘i.l.9ee if i of confetti r\ His fist& [ f VOU CANJ SEUTH'/ CAkJ SELL'EM-tfl' \ Ahi' FIGrHT A / EXTRA OJES“I£) THEM / "DUCATI - V'KklOW \ TBAM OF J l T 41 V VJISE CHIÙ FRIEHDS/ (-Ol£V 4 RE"nGVnER XjWOLVES/ *—— gu stìzr ro Ml 9 poxe

and dlscouraged. Mrs. Owen brought a bottle of whisky and a pltoher of water and placed them near hls elbow. "Try lt, Andrew. I usually take a thlrnbleful myself before golng to bed ’’ Th novelty of thls sort of mlnlstratlon was In ltself sufflolent to lift a weary and dlscouraged splrlt. Mr. Owen measiired 17■?

OUR BOARDING HOUSE—By AHERN

poured lt lnto a tali glass, explalnlng as she did so that a friend of hers In Loulsvllle kept her supplied out of thè Stores of thè Pendennls Club. "It's off thè wood. Thls bottled drug store whisky ls polson. I’d just as llef take paregoric. I drew thls from my own ’barT thls mornlng. Don’t lmaglne I’m a heavy consumer. A -wi' ti+ l divide

NOV. 20, 1922

—By ALLMAN

—By AL POSEN

it around among my frlende. Remlnd me to glve you some to take home, Try one of those elgars; John Wara keeps a box here. If they’re cabbage leaf it lsn’t my fault." “No, thanks, Sally. You're altogether to kind to me. It’ mighty good to be heoe, I can teli you.** (To Bo Continuai)