Jasper County Democrat, Volume 13, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 July 1910 — NOBLE DYKEMAN [ARTICLE]

NOBLE DYKEMAN

Henry Dykeman’s mind was occupied with deeds of daring' Our little set of newspaper reporters—pykeman was ; i one of us- was constantly treated by him to some fanciful exploit in which he had been engaged, though he modestly left all the credit to some one else. At one time he had come upon a man overpowered by footpads just in time, with the assistance of others, to drive the rascals off. At another he had rescued a child from the fourth ! story of a burning building, mentioning. by the way, that a woman had been rescued from the fifth story by some one else under far more difficult circumstances. Then there were constant encounters with men in the •'dives,” where Dykeman considered it necessary, to go in the pursuance of some of his assignments for criminal news. Occasionally some one not acquainted with him would hear him recount these episodes and sneer, but those of us who belonged to the : •gang.” as we disrespectfully referred to ourselves, believed that Dykeman I was simply suffering from having got i into the wrong sphere of life and his : stories of adventure were hissings of .steam from bis safety valve. “You were missing last night. Dykeman." I would sav to him at dinner 1 when we were assembled at the little restaurant in the alley where we all dined together. “Where do you spend i your evenings when off duty?” “Last nig-it—let ine see. Ah. I remember! Last night I was walking on —— street when a woman threw up a window in a house 1. was passing aud cried- for help. I went in and found a thief, who bad got into the second floor of the bouse while the family were at dinner, just climbing down a latticework from a rear porch. I reached over and, seizing his coat collar, drew him up. Just then a policeman entered, and 1 turned him over.”

"Did any one else come in for any of the credit?*’ asked one of the gang. "Yes; it was all due to the woman who called for help. She had induced the man to enter a closet by assuring him that he would find the silver there, and when she got him in she slammed the door and turned the key. However. the door was frail, and he broke it down. I tell you she was plucky, that woman.” “But where were you the night before and the night before that? You are never with us any more. Do you rescue some one every night ?” A pained expression came over his face, and I hastened to add: "Never mind,, dear boy. You shall spend your evenings where you please.” Nevertheless curiosity got the better W -

of us, and many were our discussions as to bow Dykeman occupied his leisure bouts. One said that he was secretly taking boxing lessons, another that be bad joined the militia and was giving all his spare time in drill. Dykeman himself when twitted with the subject gave out that he had a job to shadow a multimiHienaire. Time gave no explanation, so at last we concluded to bunt up one for ourselyes. Choosing an evening when we were all off duty together, we made our arrangements.to follow Dykeman. •‘Will you go to the theater this evening?" I asked him. “We are all off tonight and can take in any show you like.” » “Thanks. 1 would like to be with you, but you see”— . “I don’t see.” , “Well, then, there is a bank”— “Which is to be robbed tonight.” “How did you know that?" “Never mind. Co oil." "They need some man Who is quick on the -.trigger, who has plenty of muscle”—

“That will do. Business before pleasure. You can go to the theater with us some other evening.” We left Dykeman sitting over a glass of sour wine and sallied forth, ostensibly to the theater, really to places of concealment, from which we watched till he came out, then followed him. He soon stopped at a candy store, from which he emerged with a paper of sweets. “Is he going to head off the bank robbers by peppering them with bonbons?” remarked one of the “gang.” A second stop was at a fruit stand, where he purchased some luscious peaches and yellow bananas. “I see.” said another. “He’s going to scatter the skins on the floor in front of the vault, and the robbers will find their feet in the air and themselves on their backs.” • There were no more stops till Dykeman entered a little frame trap on the outskirts of the city. He went in at the door, and we took position at the window. A dim light shone within, and there was half an inch of space between the window shade and sill through which we peered from the outside. A little girl of some seven or eight years was lying on a couch. Her cheeks were thin, her eyes wert large and lustrous with disease, an" their expression as they flared upon the great muscular figure of IJykeman was that of one who had waited hungrily for him all through the day. She threw her thin arms about him as b bent over her and patted his broad back, the only manifestation of he delight visible to us now that he was between her and us. Then the candy and the fruit came out, and then— - Then something like shame came over us for eavesdropping, and one by one we drew away from the window and the sight of this man, who wag

acreening his tenderness and gentleness with his s >ries of muscular prowess and the child be had rescued and tr whom be was devoting his life.