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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Signal, 1917-12-20, Page 1010 iTscras DAT, Duc. 20, 1917 '4 1 THE SIGN AL • GODERICH ONTARIO roire"" Whistling Dick's Christmas Stocking By 0. HENRY Oepyrtg•I b Doubled/by, Sage W iT was with much caution that Whetting Dick slid back the door of the box c-ar, for article 5718, city erdinances, authorised (perbaps ea- esaKtutionally) arrest on suspicion. Hadaw no change niece his last slat to this big almsgiving. long-suffering city of the South, the cold weather paradise of the trempa. Whistling Dick's' red head popped suddenly back into the car. A sight too imposing and magnifieest for his gaze had been • - ed to the went-. A vase incomparable policeman rounded a pile of rice see= and stood Vtlare 20 yards of the. car. WhistlineDick, professional tramp. possessed a half friendly acquaintance with this officer. They had met env - The Whistler Collided With 14 Frits. eral times before on the levee et night, for the °dicer, himself a lover of mu- sic, had been attracted by the exqui- site 'whistling of the shiftless vaga- bond. Still he did uut care under the present circumstances to renew the se- qualutanee. tio Dick waited, and be- nne' loog "Illg Fritz" disappeared. • Whistling Pick waited as long as his Judgmeut ad, ised and then slid swiftly to the ground. As be picked his way where /light still ilugered among the big, reeking. musty warehouses he gave way to the habit that had won for him his title. Subdued, yet clear, with each note as true and liquid as a bobolink's, bin whistle tinkled about the dim, cold teountalne of brick like drops of rain falling into a hidden pool. Roundloa a corner, the whistler col- lided wltb "Big Fritz." "So," observed the wountaiu calmly, "you are already pack. Cud drre '.111 not pe frost before two veeks yet. Cud you hat' forgutteu bow to simile. Dere w • velar uote In dot last bar" • a Big Fritz's heavy mustache rounded tato a circle. and from its depths came a sound deep and mellow as that from • flute. He repeated a few bare of the rejected, decaying lumber. In a corner he saw the faint glow of a fire that air the treat'. bad been whistling. had become little more than a bed of '1)ot p p natural, and not p *lat. Py der vay, you petter pe glad I meet living coals. and he thought he could , see somesitting diet human forms or you. Von hour later, end I vould hal.' to about It. He drew nearer. and te put you In a gage to vistle mit der by the light of a little blaze that aid - chat peels. Der orders are to bull all denly flared up he saw plainly thetat der puma •fter sunrise. Uoot pye." I Aft.' the big ealicau•n had depart- figure of • ragged man In an old brown ed Whistling Dick stood for au irreso- l sweater and cap. lute minute, feeling all the outrage,"Dat man," said Whistling Dick to himself softly, "is a dead ringer for Indignation of a deliequent tenant who la ordered to vacate his premises. He 13°14°n Harry. I'll try him wit' de had pictured to himself u day ut high sigh." dreainful ease, but here was • stern He whaled ooe or two bars of • rag - order to exile and oue thet he knew Uwe melody, and the air was home - must be obeyed. So. with wiry eye diately taken up and then quickly end - open for the gleam of braes buttons, he ed with • peculiar run. The first Ishii - began his retreat toward • rural tier walked confidently up to the fire. refuge. A few days In the country The fat man looked up and sisskis in a need not necessarily prove disastrous.. loud. asthmatic wheese: However, it was with • depressed "Deets, tbe =expected but welcome spirit that Whistling Dick passed the addition to our circle is Mr. Whistling old Fritsch marks on his chosen rout• Dice, en old frisid of mine for whom down th- river. For safety's take he I fully vouches. The waiter will lay still presented to the world is por- another cover et ooce. Mr. W. D. will trey"! of the pert of the wor, mils- join as •t supper, during which tune - an ea kis way to labor. • stall keeper tem hi will enlighten es In regard to In the market. =deceived. hailed him the circ that give as the • by the generic name of bis lik, and pleasure of his company." "Jack" hilted, taken by surprise. The For the next ten minutes tbe gang • vender, melted by Mix proof or hi, of roadsters, six in all, paid their undi- own .cut , bestowed • foot of sided attention to the supper. In an frankfurter and a half a lost and thus old tive-galion kerosene can they had the problem of breakfast was volved. cooked a !dew of potatoes, meat and By noon he had reached the country onions, which they partook of from ef the plantations, the great, sad, se smaller cane. lent levels bordering the mighty river. Whistles Dick had known Reston flo overlooked fields of =gar cane so Heay of old and knew him to be one vast that their farthest melted of the shrewdest •nd most oruceeseful into the sky. The sugar -making season of his brotherhood. He looked like a was well advanced, and the cutters prneperous Irtnek drover or • send mer- lins* at work. chant from =me country village. HI At • certain point Whistling Dick's was stout and hale, with • roddy, al - unerring noes might the scout of try- weys srmnothly shaved face. The four leg flab. Like • pointer to a quail, he other men were fair specimens of the made his way down the levee side, slinking, Ill -clad. note -Imo tenni. seraigbt to the eamp of • eredulons After the Nati= of the farce ean sal mildest fishermen, whom he had been scraped and pipes lit at the 80MIIMMI with •0141 and Magi ha that Male two et th. WM Called Deena he dined like an admiral. and then like a philosopher, annihilated the worst thee hours of the day by a nap under the treas. Wben he awoke and continued his hegira a frosty sparkle In tbe air bad succeeded the drowsy warmth of the day, and as this portent of a chilly night translated itself to tbe brain of Sir Peregrine he lengthened his aride and bethought him of shelter. A distant clatter In the rear Quickly developed into the swift beat of horses' hoofs. Turning his head, he saw ap- proaching a floe team of stylish greys drawing a double surrey. A stout man with a white mustache occupied the front seat, giving all his attention to the rigid lined In his hands. Behind him sat a placid, middle-aged lady and a brilliant -looking gtrt, hardly arrived aside and spoke with hen lowly and mysteriously. He =dust decisively and then said aloud to Whistling Dick: 'Listen, sonny, to wine plain talky talk. We five are on a lay. I've guar- suteed you to be square and you're to come In on the profits equal with the boys, and you've got to help. Two hun- dred hands on this plantation are ex- pecting to be paid a week's wages to- morrow morning. Tomorrow's Christ- mas and they want to lay off. Says the boss 'Work from flee to nine In the morning to get a trainload of sugar off apd pay every man cash down for the week and a day extra.' They say: 'Hooray for the hoes! It goes.' He drives to Noo Orleans today and fetches back the cold dollars. Two thousand and seventy-four fifty is the amount. I got the figures from a man at young ladybood. The lap robe had who MI" 100 much, who got 'em from the bookkeeper. Now, half of this slipped partly from the knees of the gentleman driving, and Whetting Dick haul goes to me and the other half the f yo may divIde. Why the dif- saw two stout canvas bags between his I ference? I represent the brains Ira feet—bags much aa, while tootles cities, he had seen warily transferred my °cher"' firreli the way we're 6°Mg Th between express wagon, and bank to get It. ere's some company at sup - doors. The rematning space In the per in the home'. but they'll leave vehicle *as with parcels of vare about nine. They have just happened one sizes and shapes. As the surrey swept even with the eide-tracked tramp, the bright-eyed girt, seized by some merry, madeap im- pulse leaned out toward him with a sweet, dazzling smile andcried. Mer- ry Christmas!" In • shrill, plaintive mile beyond the house and set fire to treble. a big canefleld there that the cutters Such a thing had not often happesed haven't touched yet. The vrtpd's just to Whistling Dick, and he felt handl- right to have It roaring In two minutes. The alarm 11 be given. and every man canned In devising tbe correctre- sponse. But, lacking time for reflection, Jack about the place will be down there in ten minutes fighting fire. That In for en hour or eo. lf they don't go pretty soon we'll week the scheme any- how. We want all eight to get away good with the dollars. Tbey're heavy. About nine o'clock Deaf Pete and Bll k '11 go dowp the road a quarter he let his instinct decide, and snatch- ing off his bsttered hat he rapidly ex- tended It et arnes length and drew It back with a continuo= motion and shouted a loud. but ceremonious "Ah., there!" The sodden movement of the giri had caused one of the parcels to be- come unwrapped, and something limp and black fell from It into the road. The tramp picked it up and found it to be a new black silk stocking, loft and flne and slender "Ther tdoomialittle skeezielm!" said Whistling Dick, with a broad grin bisecting bis freckled face. "Vrot yer think of dat, now? Mer-ry Christ - mu"' Sounded like a cuckoo clock, dist', what she did. Dem guys is rwells, too, bet yer life, an' der ol un stacks dem sacks of dough down under his trotters like dey was common as dried apples. Been shupple' ter Christmas, and de kid's lost one of her new socks w'ot sbe waa sole' to bold up Meaty wid." Whistling Diek folded the stocking carefully and stuffed It Into his pocket. It was nearly two hours tater when be came upoo Gigue 01 habitation. Tbe bundle(' of en extensive plantation came into view. The read was inclosed on each side by • fence, and preen:lily as Whistling Dick drew uearer the houses he aud- deuly stopped aid sniffed the sir. "If dere ain't • hobo stew cookie' 110113eV. here In dig Immediate precinct." he said to himself, "me nose has quit ta:In' tie trut." Without hesitation h. climbed the lazily upon convenient lumber and re- garded Whistling Dick with uudis- retried disfavor. "Die planter chap," Dick said, "w'ot makes yer t'Ink he's got de tin in de bouse I" ?" "I'm advised of the facts In the case," old Boston. "He drove to Noo Orleans and got It, 1 say, today. Want to change your mind now and come ler' "Naw, I was Just askin'. Wot kind o' team did de boss driver "Pair of grays." "Double surrey r "Yep." "Women folks alongr "Wife and kid. Say, what morning paper are you trying to pun= pews forr "I was just conversin' to pass de time •way. I guess dat team passed me In de road Ms event'. Dat's all." • • • • • • • Dinner, two hours late, was bang served In the Bellemesde plantation dining room. The talk of the diners was too desul- tory, too evanescent to follow, hut at last they came to the subject of the tramp nuisance, one that had of late vexed the plantations for many miles around. The planter seized the occa- sion to direct his good-natured Are of raillery at the mistress, accusing her of encouraging the plague. "I don't believe they are all bad," She said. "We passed one this evening as we were driving home who had a face as good as It was incompetent. Ile was whistling the intermezzo from Vavallerhe •nd blowing the sphlt of Mascara himself into It." Austria Faces Trouble at Home ••••04+044 AUSTRIA-HUNGARY ie weary of the war tbat sbe Is showing almost no eir- thuslasin over the victories Ii Italy, and to fact. is ledulging to a bad tempered political dispute which maim the recent agitatione in London and Paris appear mild bY comparison. Tbe trouble began lie a stormy session in the Austriaa she told me Ketch de bums down de rods den out of mote youree truly parliament. The reported settle- itret ivnti Na a relate core to get well went of the Polish question the WHISTLES HICK.ir forth a united There was some quiet but rapid statement by all the maneuvering at Belleineede duriug the Slav parties and the Czechs ttukt such a settlement would be detri- ensuing half hour, which ended In Ave disgusted and sullen tramps being cap- tured and locked securely•in an out- biental to and discriminatory against them and that It would stand in the hin(Su "a ndenrcieltnrigbuthtleoneauFthogr oatntobtehetirrre.n. way of the Slav demand for Illears- suit the visiting young gentlemen had lion from Magyar oppression. The Ukrainians opposed the OM - secured the unqualifieti worship of the 'Ion of Galicia to Poland as a =- visiting young ladies by their distill- trayal of them to the leader morel= of the Poles. A Roumaniaq deput guished and heroic conduct. For still y hero, Bested at the planter's table inertia should be attacbed to Austria. ahtboautld Rot: another, behold Whistling Dick, 1111duenmitesdndewdiothaRt u sl 11 a 'laded feasting. Minister President Seyd •r e The planter vowed that the wander- the storm in the parliament by say- er should wander no more, that his Ing that Poland would have by free was a goodness and an honesty that choice and that tbe nationel d.wsI- •hnnhml he rewarded and that debt opmeot of other races would not be fence to windward. He found himself In an apparently disused lot, where piles of old bricks were stacked and "Merry Christmael• Cried the aright -Eyed Glri. '11 leave the money sacks and the women alone In the house for 011 to handle." "Boston." interrepel Whittling Dick, rising to his feed, *Tanks for de grub yowl fellers has given me, but I'll be movie' on now. Burglary Is no good. say good night and many tanks ter—' Whalley Dtck had moved swat' e few steps as he spoke, but be stopped very suddenly. Boston had covered him with a short revolver of roomy caliber. "Take your seat," said the tramp leader. "rd feel mighty proud of my- self If I let you go and spoil the game. You'll stick right In this camp until we finish the job. The end of that brick pile is your limit. Yon go two inches beyond that and I'll have to shoot. Better take it easy, now." "It's my way of dole'," said Whis- tling Dick. "Easy goes. You can dr press de musale of dat twelve lecher and run 'er beck on de trucks. I re- mains." "All right." said Boston, lowertng his piece, as the other returned and took bis seat ante on a projecting plank in a pile of timber. "1 don't want to hurt anybody specially, but this thousand dollars I'm going to get will fix me for far. I'm going to drop the road, and Mart a saloon In a little town I know about. Pm tired of being kicked around." Batton Harry took from his pocket a cheap silver watch and held It near the fire. "It's • quarter to nine," he said. "Pete, you and !flinty ntart. Go down the road mod the house and fire the cane In a dozen places. Then strike for the levee and coins beck nn It instesd of the road, en you won't meet any- body. By the time you get back the mon will all be striking out for the fire, sad wen break for the house and col- lar the dollars. Everybody cough ip what matches be's got." Of the throe reimalning 'errata, two, etidas sad With= Tee. reellaid A bright-eyed yonng girl who sat at the left of the =etre= leaned over and said In a confidential undertone: "I wonder, mamma, if that tramp we passed on the road found my stocking. And do you think he will bang it up tonightr The words of the young girl were Interrupted by a startling thing. Like the wealth of some burned-ont shooting star, a black streak Came crasblog through the wludowpane and upon the table, where it shivered into fragments a dozen pieces of crystal and china ware. The woman screamed In many keys. and the men sprang to their feet. The planter was the first to act. H• sprang to the intruding missile and held it up to view. "It's loaded," be annouuced. As he spoke be reversed a long, black stocking, bolding It by the toe, and down from It dropped a roundish stone wrapped about by a piece of yellowish paper. "Now for the first Interstellar message of the century !" be cried, and, nodding to the company, who bad crowded about him, he adjusted his glassiest with provoking deliberation sed examined It closely. When he finished he had changed from the jolly hose to the practical, decisive man of buetnests. He immediately struck a hell and said to the silent -footed mu- latto men who reeponded: "Go and tell Mr. Wesley to get Reeves and Maurice and about ten Mout bandit they can rely upon and come to the hall door et once. Tell him to have the men arm themselves and bring plenty of ropes and plow lines. Tell him to hurry." And then he read aloud from the paper these words: To de Dont of de Holm: Dere ts five tuff hoboes :rept meitelf In 4. oaken Int near de road war de old brick piles le Dey got me stuck up wld • gun sae and I taken dIs moans of envernunl- eaten I of dor lads Is gond down to set fire to do rain &old below de hour and when you. falhws goes to turn A. hose 00 It do hole gang la grain to rob de hong of de money Too Sotto pay off wit as/ t • saw, on ye say do klel dropt die Mop Is Nee MI kat mery alma= ea ammo se of gratitude bad bern made that must be paid, for had he not saved them from • doubtless imminent loss and maybe a great calamity? He assured Whistling Prick that he might COD - alder himself a charge upon the honor of Bellenaeade, that a position suited to his powers would be found for him et once. But now, they said, he must be weary, and the immediate thing to consider was rest and'aleep. So the mistreat spoke to a servant, and Whir fling Dick was conducted to a room in the wing of the house occupied by the servants. To this room in a few min- utes was brought a portable tin bath- tub filled with water, which was placed on a piece of oiled cloth upon the door. There the vagrant was left to pass the night. By the light of a candle he examined the room. A bed, with the covers neat- ly turned back, revealed snowy pit - lows and sheets. There were towels oo • rack and soap In a white dish. Whistling Dick set his candle OD a chair and placed his hat carefully un- der the table. After satisfying what We must suppose to have been his curl- oalty by • sober scrutiny, he Jemoved his coat, folded It and laid it dpon the floor near the wall, as far as possible from the unused bathtub. Taking his coat for • pillow, be stretched himself luxuriously upon the carpet. When on Christmas morning the first streaks of dawn broke above the marshes Whistling Dick awoke and reached lostifictively for his hat. Then he remembered that the skirts of Fors tune bad swept him Into their foldn oe the night previous, and be went to the window and raised it to let the fresh breath of the morning cool his brow, As be stood there certain dread and omicrons sounds pierced bis ear. The force of plantation workers, eager Jo complete the shortened task allotted to them, were all astir. Tbe mighty din of the ogre Labor abook the earth, and the poor tattered and forever disguised prince In =arch of his fortune trembled. Me December air was frosty, bet broke out upon Whistling Dick's face. He thrust his head out of the window mad looked down. Fif- teen feet below him, &gained the wall of the house, he could make out that a border of flowers grew, and by that token he overhung • bed of sort earth. Softly as • burglar goes, be clam. bared out upon the sill. lowered bine self until be bung by his hands, Wong and then dropped safely. No one seemed to be about upoo this aide of the house. He dodged low and skim- med "wifely across tbe yard of the low fence It was an easy matter to vane Feasting at the Planter's Table. ' hindered. The remarks of the Czechs la re- gard to the necessity of liberating all the Slays from Magyar oppression created a violent scene the following week in the Hungarian parliament. Many deputies clamored for • separ- ate army and for the breaking of all mutual relations with Austria. Wok- erle the Hungarian Minister Prole 'den, calmed the ealmor by indicat- ing that Seydler would endeavor to stamp out the anti -Magyar agitatioe in the Austrian Parlianmat. According W tbe Frel Preset., a Vienna, all parties in the Hungarlas Parliament then joined In Interpella- (ions demanding that steps be tektite to protect Hungary against the at- tacks of the Slava In the Austrtaa parliament. Count Andreae, assert- ed that tbe creation of a fectoratien whicb is proposed by certain Aus- trians was dangeroum to Hungary and that the Czech demands were in- spired by the Entente. Wekerle re- plied be had positive guaranties from Seydler that the avplrations of th• subject nationalities would be satis- fied only within Austria. Wekerle said further that the Aus- trian Minister of Justice had assured him that he would take legal stops to suppress an cicadae utter- ances. Wekerle said be had talie Seydler that the dissolution of Rea- gary was threateeed. He further asserted tbat the Emperor had em- powered him to announce that the Crown would use all the mesas at its demote' to opera= Czech agita- tion against Hungarian constitution- al Independence and territorial la- tecrity. the trail. According to the Neu• The Hungarian press then took up Korrespondenz, of Berne, the follow- ing violent attacks' &genet Austria appeared in the Hungarian papers: Az Est. (be sensational evening sbeet of Budapest. carried the flaring headline, "New War Declaration." and below It said: "Turks, Serbia. Tartars, Roumaniane, Russians, have successively attacked Hungary. but A u stria has al ways been hostile under the mask of friendship. The mask has now fallen. and Hungary realizes Austria's hatred and desire to swallow Hungary. Hungary still has sufficient strength to accept bat- ..tle_mith Austria, and should reply. "Let us separate from Austria." Pester Lloyd, tbe Ittbsidized Gar- man paper of Budapest, published Interviews with ('ount Andrasey and other prominent Hu/aerials, ex- pressing rape over the audacity of the Czech Parliamentarians. Pesti Illeriap, the organ of Couat Ape ponyi's Independence Parte, com- ments that It is useless to debate the question. as "a controversy with Idiots would be ridiculous." It goes on to say: "The Czech accusation that the nation of Hungary has been Magyartzed by forre la comical. It It regrettable that this was not done. The Czechs have misused par- liamentary immunity and have been guilty of higb treason ID threatening the inner destruction of the mon- archy." Magyarorsag. Cotmt Karolyl's paper, state@ that It Is well known that Hungary's bitterest enemies are among tbe Nationals of Austria, and that their hatred Is steadily grow- ing. In reply to Tisza's InterDellation of the Polish question, Wekerle said that the Polish question can receive no definite settlement until pease; but that It would not Influence Ilan - Rattan political and economic inter- ests and that the Hungarian Parlia- ment would be consulted concerning the question. This& also obtained postponement of discussion of the electoral reform bill until the end of the discussion of the budget. There is a disposition In both the !Hungarian and Austrian Parliaments In throw bricks at the Czechs. Ac- cording to the Nene Prole Press& the Austrian Parllameot, it was as. eerted that food conditions In the German parts of Bohemia are Indere ecribable and that conditions in that this,, for a terror urged him such all Czech dIntrieln are much better, lifts the casette over the thorn busk was asserted that tho industrial re-, when the Ilon punmes. A crash through gions are particularly badly fed, M. the dew drenched weeds on the rose. tmhaant_tnbeohreernairaen intoawnynse"haass ettnedrereasergleY. and that the death rate to some Gime'.1de, side, a clutehing, alppery rush up the gram, .14. of the ley= to the foot- oirtrh.ceivu.n path at the summit. and he was free! A email, raffled. brown -breasted bird were Interpellations In regard bo garian Parliement tit= so! totoinfir Upon tra ,dtenorwod:dusatup.11npgipibegang inn action of a muntinoua Czech l= which was said to have somati prelim of the dew which entices foolish awnhiAeh.uswtralasosaitdortiM0 daoavobo: WM* sette7u: athnle aogsandt witbel:mhiatilbesdg:rnagied Kiss Peter of Serbia ow • Ishii, bbs tratyoed worms trom their holes, bnt suddenly enemy and a mutleous °tech remark sidewise. listening Awl isa mu, Austrian artillery potation to tlis! brava bird sat wits ha bawd " • @nemy on the Italian fronL --tme lAg Galina La Melva .,