Part 34 (2/2)

”But,” asked McHurdie, ”if I exist this minute with you, and then you focus your attention on Mart there, the next minute, and he exists, what becomes of me when you turn your head from me?”

Dolan did not answer. He dipped into the _Times_ and read awhile; and the colonel and the general got out the checkerboard and plunged into a silent game. At length Dolan, after the fas.h.i.+on of debaters in the parliament, came out of his newspaper and said:--

”That, Mr. McHurdie, is a problem ranging off the subject, into the theories of the essence of time and s.p.a.ce, and I refuse to answer it.”

Me Hurdie kept on working, and the hands of the clock slipped around nearly an hour. Then the bell tinkled and Neal Ward came in on his afternoon round for news to print in the next day's issue of the _Banner_.

”Anything new?” he asked.

”Mrs. Dorman is putting new awnings on the rear windows of her store--did you get that?” asked McHurdie.

The young man made a note of the fact.

”Yes,” added Dolan, ”and you may just say that Hon. Jacob Dolan, former sheriff of Garrison County, and a member of 'C' Company, well known in this community, who has been custodian of public buildings and grounds in and for Garrison County, state of Kansas, ss., is contemplating resigning his position and removing to the National Soldiers' Home at Leavenworth for the future.”

Young Ward smiled, but did not take the item down in his note-book.

”It isn't time yet,” he said.

”Why not?” asked Dolan.

”Only two months and a half since I printed that the last time. It can't go oftener than four times a year, and it's been in twice this year. Late in December will time it about right.”

”What's the news with you, boy?” asked Dolan.

”Well,” said the young man, pausing carefully as if to make a selection from a large and tempting a.s.sortment, but really swinging his arms for a long jump into the heart of the matter in his mind, ”have you heard that John Barclay has given the town his pipe organ?”

”You don't say!” exclaimed McHurdie.

”Tired of it?” asked Dolan, as though twenty-five-thousand-dollar pipe organs were raining in the town every few days.

”It'll not be that, Jake,” said Watts. ”John is no man to tire of things.”

”No, it's not that, Mr. Dolan,” answered Neal Ward. ”He has sent word to the mayor and council that he is going to have the organ installed in Barclay Hall this week at his own expense, and he accompanied the letter with fifty thousand dollars in securities to hire a permanent organist and a band-master for the band; and a band concert and an organ concert will alternate in the hall every week during the year. I gather from reading his letter that Mr. Barclay believes the organ will do more good in the hall than in his house.”

The general and the colonel kept on at their game. Dolan whistled, and Watts nodded his head. ”That's what I would say he did it for,” said McHurdie.

”Are the securities N.P.C. stock?” asked Dolan, tentatively.

”No,” replied Neal; ”I saw them; they are munic.i.p.al bonds of one sort and another.”

”Well, well--Johnnie at the mill certainly is popping open like a chestnut bur. Generally when he has some scheme on to buy public sentiment he endows something with N.P.C. stock, so that in case of a lawsuit against the company he'd have the people interested in protecting the stock. This new tack is certainly queer doings.

Certainly queer doings for the dusty miller!” repeated Dolan.

”Well, it's like his buying the waterworks of Bemis last month, and that land at the new pumping station, and giving the council money to build the new dam and power-house. He had no rebate or take back in that--at least no one can see it,” said the young man.

”Nellie says,” put in Watts, ”that she heard from Mrs. Fernald, who got it from her girl, who got it from the girl who works in the Hub restaurant, who had it from Mrs. Carnine's girl--so it come pretty straight--that Lige made John pay a pretty penny for the waterworks, and they had a great row because John would give up the fight.”

”Yes,” replied Dolan, ”it come to me from one of the n.i.g.g.e.r prisoners in the jail, who has a friend who sweeps out Gabe's bank, that he heard John and Lige d.i.c.kering, and that Lige held John up for a hundred thousand cold dollars for his bargain.”

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