Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 April 1907 — THE CONQUEST of CANAAN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE CONQUEST of CANAAN

By BOOTH TARKINGTON,

Author of “Cherry," "Monsieur Beaucaire,” Etc. !

SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS. Chapter I—Eugene Bantry, a Canian (Ind.,) • young man, who hu been east to college, re- 1 tarns home and astounds the natlvea by the ■orgeouaneaa of hie raiment. Hie step brother. Joe Loudin. te characterized by the aged male goanipa who daily assemble at the National House for argument as the good for nothing associate of doubtful characters. II Eugene’e appearance baa a pronounced effect upon Mamie Pike, whose father. Judge Pike, ie the wealthiest and moat prominent citizen of Canaan. Joe worships Mamie from ■far. Eugene interferes In a enow tight between Joe and bis hoidenlsh and very poor girl friend, Ariel Taber, who Is worsted. Ariel hotly resents the interference and slaps Eugene, who sends her home. Ill—Ariel, unbecomingly attired, attends. Mamie Pike's ball. IV—Joe. concealed behind some plants on the Pike veranda, watches hungrily for a glimpse of Minnie. Ariel ie Ignored bjWmost of the guests. Ariel discovers Joe, »ut shortly afterward, learning that her uncle, Jonas Tabor, has died suddenly, leaves. The Daily Tocsin oi the next day tells of Joe’s discovery on the Pike veranda and of bls pursuit and eacape there! rom. It also refers to wounds in the head of himself and of Norbert Flitcroft, who detected him. Joe retiree to the “Beach,” a low resort kept by his friend, Mike Sheehan, who dresses his wound. VI Joe leaves Mike's place. He visits Ariel Tabor, who, by the death of her Uncle Jonas, baa become rich. She wishes Joe to accompany her and her grandfather to Paris. Joe refuses and leaves Canaan to avoid arrest for the trouble At Judge Pike's. Vll—Joe is heard from two years later as a ticket seller for a aide show. Eugene Bantry also meets him seven years later in a low resort in New York, but wisely refrains from advertising it. VIII-Joe returns to Canaan a full-fledged lawyer. Even his father ignores klm. and he is refused accommodations at the National bouse. IX—Joe is welcomed at the "Beach,” and “Happy Fear,” one of Joe's admirers, seriously assualts Nashville Cory, a detractor. At the end of Happy's term in prison he visits Joe, who now has a law office on the square, with a living room adjoining. Joe has a large practice, principally among the lower classes, and is frequently attacked by the Tocsin. Joe begins, in bis lonlineas, to yield to the seductions of the bottle. Bantry’s engagment to Mamie Pike ie announced. Bantry is now associate editor of the Tocsin, owned by Judge Pike X—Joe awakens after a “bad night with the words, "Remember, across the Main street bridge at noon/’ ringing in his ears. He goes there and ie presently joined by the most beautifully dressed girl be has ever Men. Xl—She turns out to be Ariel Tabor, arrived in Canaan the night before from her tong sojourn in Paris. She has seen Joe as she alighted from the train and, realizing his condition, had escorted him home after exacting from him a promise to meet her the next day (Sunday) across the Main street bridge at noon. Joe learns that Ariel is stopping at Judge Pike’s home, the judge having entire charge of her money, etc. XII— Eogene Bantry, although engaged to Mamie, la much smitten with Ariel’s charms. Judge Pike tries bls usual blustering tactics with Ariel, but subsides When she tells him that she shall ask him to turn over the care of her estate to Joe Louden. Xlll—Ariel holds a sort of informal reception at Judge Plke’sand learns that the "tough element" is talking of running Joe for mayor. XlV—Hapny Fear and Nashville Cory have more trouble. Joe corners Happy and sends Claudine (Mrs. Pear) to mee him.

CHAPTER XV. «w KNOW how tired you are,” said I Ariel as he came back Into the I room. “I shall not keep you A long.” ’ "Ah, please do!” he returned quickly, beginning to fumble with the shade of « student lamp at one end of the desk. "Let me do that," she said. “Sit ■down." He obeyed at once and watched her as she lit the lamp and, stretching upon tiptoe, turned out the gas. "No,” she continued, seated again and looking across the desk at him. “I wanted to see you at the first possible opportunity, but what I have to say’’— “Wait,” he interrupted. “Let me tell you why I did not come yesterday.” “You need not tell me. I know.” She glanced at the chair which had been occupied by Mrs. Fear. “1 knew last night that they had sent for you.” “You did!” he exclaimed. “Ah. I understand! Sam Warden must have told you.” , “Yes,” she said. “It was he. And I have been wondering ever since how he heard of it. He knew last night, but there was nothing In the papers this morning, and until I came here I heard no one else speak of it. Yet CaUiuui Is not large.” (T Joe laughed. “It wouldn’t seem Strange if you lived with the Canaan that I do. Sam bad been downtown during the afternoon and had met friends. The colored people are a good deal like a freemasonry, you know. A great many knew last night all about what had happened and had their theories about what might happen today in the two men met. Still, you see, those who knew also knew just what people not to tell. The Tocsin is the only newspaper worth the name here. But even if the Tocsin had known of the trouble it wouldn’t have been likely to mention it. That’s a thing I don’t understand.” He frowned and rubbed the back of his head. “There’s something underneath it. For more than a year the Tocsin hasn’t spoken of Beaver Beach. I’d like to know ■why” “Joe,” she said slowly, “tell me something truly. A man said to me yesterday that he found life here insufferable. Do you find it so?” "Why. no!” he answered, surprised. "Do you hate Canaan?” ' "Certainly not!” “You don’t find it dull, provincial, unsympathetic?” He laughed cheerily. “Well, there’s this.” he explained; “I have an advantage over your friend. I see a more interesting side of things probably. The people I Uve among are pretty thorough cosmopolites in a way, and the life I lead”— “I think 1 begin to understand a littie about the life you lead,” she interrupted. "Then you don’t complain of Canaan?" "Of course not.” She threw him a quick, bright, happy look, then glanced again at the chair tn which Mrs. Fear had sat "Joe,” she Asia “last night I beard the people singing in the houses, the old Sunday evening way. It ‘took me back so!’ ” "Yea ft would. And something else.

There’s one hymn they sing more than any other. It’« Canaan’s favorite. Do you know what It Is?” "Is It ‘Rescue the Perishing?’ ’’ "That’s it. ’Rescue the Perishing!*” he cried and. repeating the words again, gave forth a peal of laughter so hearty that It brought tears to his eyes. " ‘Rescue the Perishing!’ ’’ At first she did not understand bis laughter, but after a moment she did and joined her own to It though with a certain tremulousness.. t “It is funny, isn’t it?” said Joe, wiping the moisture from his eyes. Then all trace of mirth left him. “Is It really you, sitting here and laughing with me, Ariel?” "It seems to be." she answered in a low voice. “I’m not at all sure.” “You didn’t think yesterday afternoon,” he began almost in a whisper—"you didn’t think that I had failed to come because I” He grew very red and shifted the sentence awkwardly. "I was afraid you might think that I was—that I didn’t come because I might have been the same way again that I was when—when I met you at the station?” “Oh, no!” she answered gently. “No. I knew better.” do you know,” he faltered, “that that Is all over? That It can never happen again?” “Yes, I know It,” she returned quickly. “Then you know a little of what I owe you.” “No, no,” she protested. “Yes,” he said. “You’ve made that change In me already. It wasn’t hard —lt won’t be—though It might have been Is—ls you hadn’t come soon.” “Tell me something,” she demanded. “If these people had not sent for you yesterday, would you have come to Judge Pike’s house to see me? You said you would try." She laughed a little and looked away from him. “I want to know If you would have come.”

There was a silence, and in spite of her averted glance she knew that he was looking at her steadily. Finally, “Don’t you know?” he said. She shook her head and blushed faintly. “Don’t you know?” he repeated. She looked up and met his eyes, and thereupon both became very grave. "Yes, I do,” she answered. “You would have come. When you left me at the gate and went away you were afraid. But you would have come.” “Yes, I’d have come. You are right I was afraid at first, but I knew,” he went on rapidly, “that you would have come to the gate to meet me.” “You understood that?” she cried, her eyes sparkling and her face flushing happily. “Yes. I knew that you wouldn’t have asked me to come,” he said, with a catch in his voice which was half chuckle, half groan, “If you hadn’t meant to take care of me. And it came to me that you would know how to do It.” She leaned back In her chair, and again they laughed together, but only for a moment, becoming serious and very quiet almost Instantly. “I haven’t thanked you for the roses,” he said. t “Oh, yes. you did! When you first looked at them.” s

“So I did,” he whispered. “I’m glad you saw. To find them here took my breath away—and to find you with them”— "I brought them this morning, you know.” “Would you have come if you had not understood why I yesterday?” “Oh, yes, I think so!” she returned, the fine edge of a smile upon her lips. "For a time last evening, before I heard what had happened, I thought you were too frightened a friend to bother about.” He made a little ejaculation, partly joyful, partly sad. “And yet,” she went on, "I think that I should have come this morning after all even if you had a poorer excuse for your absence, because, you see, I came on business.” "You did?” “That’s why I’ve come again. That makes it respectable for me to be here now, doesn’t it—for me to have come out alone after dark without their knowing It? I’m here as your client Joe.” “Why?” he asked. She did not answer at once, but picked up a pen from beneath her band on the desk and, turning it. meditatively felt Its point with her forefinger before she said slowly. “Are most men careful of other people’s—well, of other people’s money?” “You mean Martin Pike?” he asked. “Yes. I want you to take charge of everything I have for me.” He bent a frowning regard upon the lampshade. “You ought to look aftpr your own property.” be said. “You surely have plenty of time.” "You mean—you mean you won’t help me?” she returned, with intentional pathos. , "Ariel!” he laughed shortly In" answer; then asked, “What makes you think Judge Pike Isn’t trustworthy?” "Nothing very definite perhaps, un-

less it was bls look when I told him that I meant to ask yob to take charge of things for me.” "He’s been rather hard pressed this year, I think,” said Joe. “You might be right—ls be could have found a way. I hope be hasn’t.” "J’m afraid,” she began gayly, “that I know very little of my own affair*. He sent me a draft every three months,

with receipts and other things to sign and return to him., I haven’t the faintest notion of what I own—except the old house and some money from the Income that I hadn’t used and brought with me. Judge Pike has all the papers—everything.” Joe looked troubled. “And Roger Tabor, did he”— “The dear man!” She shook her head. “He was just the same. To him poor Uncle Jonas’ money seemed to come from heaven through the hands of Judge Pike”— “And there’s a handsome roundabout way!” said Joe. “Wasn’t It!” she agreed cheerfully. “And he trusted the judge absolutely. I don’t, you see.” He gave her a thoughtful look and nodded. “No, he isn’t a good man,” he said, “not even according to his lights, but I doubt if he could have managed to get away with anythiftg of consequence after he became the administrator. He wouldn’t have tried it probably unless he was more desperately pushed than I think he has been. It would have been too dangerous. Suppose you wait a week or so and think it over.”

“But there’s something I want you to do for me Immediately, Joe.” “What’s that?” “I want the old house put in order. I’m going to live there.” “Alone?” “I’m almost twenty-seven, and that’s being enough of an old maid for me to risk Canaan’s thinking me eccentric, Isn’t it-?*’ “It will think anything you do 18 all right." “And once,” she cried, “It thought everything I did wrong!” “Yes. That’s the difference.” “You mean it will commend me because I’m thought rich?” “No, no,” he said meditatively, “it Isn’t that It’s because everybody will be In love with you.” “Quite everybody!” she asked. “Certainly," he replied. “Anybody who didn’t would be absurd.” “Ah, Joe!” she laughed. “You always were the nicest boy in the world, my dear!” (TO BB CONTINUXD.I

“Joe,” the cried In a voice of great pain, “you mustn't feel like that!”