"Dear Laton,' it said, 'don't try to get in, please. Most of your clothes are in the telescope. It's for Flora, Late. I couldn't have done it only for Flora, you'll understand. Go to the barn and see Mr. Mulberry, he'll tell you everything. I love you so much, Late. Ruby. P.S. There's five dollars inside the telescope, on top. It's all I had. R.'

"Well, I had Late set down while I explained to him, and when I finished he got up and started out.

"Where you goin', Late?' I said. ""To catch the eleven thirty freight to Dawson,' he says as he closed the door behind him.”

"The Denver doctor got here the next mornin' on number number seven. Stevens was at the depot with his team of gray fillies and brand-new buggy to meet him, and he had Mrs. Stevens along; a circumstance I couldn't account for till afterwards, when Doc Cunningham told me what happened.

"George helped the doc climb in beside Mrs. Stevens, then he wedged in; the rig was a one-seated affair.

"Does your heart seem to be troublin' you any this mornin'?' Stevens asked the missis as he reached over to take the reins out of her hands.

"No, George,' she says, innocent of what was expected of her, 'it never seems to trouble me much when I'm out in the buggy this way.'

“Huh, that's funny,' George says, givin', Doc Cunningham a calculatin' glance. 'You know, she's been complainin' a lot about her heart actin' up, lately. You can't tell much about a person by just lookin' at 'em, can you?'

"Not by lookin' at their nose and eyes,' Doc Cunningham comes back. It was a cold mornin' and Mrs. Stevens had her head done up in a black fascinator. 'But if you want me to stay over, I'll make a thorough examination.'

"Will there be any extra charge?' George asked.

""Twenty-five dollars,' Doc snapped; he was a short-spoken little devil.

"Well,' George says, 'we won't trouble you this trip. You may be down later when you have more time. And, by the way, have you ever had any experience with glanders?' Stevens had had a bay mare mule took with glanders the day before.

"Yes,' said Doc Cunningham as he crawled out of the buggy, for it wasn't more than three hundred yards from the depot to Ballentine's house, and they was there by that time, 'yes, glanders come largely from an excess of gall, either in man or beast. Good day, Mr. Stevens, and you needn't bother comin' back for me. I'll walk to the depot.'

"Practically the whole Baptist flock, includin' Millsap the shepherd, hung 'round Billy Debusk's store that mornin', waitin' to get some returns on their money in the way of news, and discussin' what had become of Late and would Ruby stick to her bargain.

"A few minutes before number ten left that afternoon, Doc Cunningham come down to the barn; it happened I was there alone. He said he'd left Doc Freeman with Flora, and that she was doin' as well as could be expected. He also said that what the child had might be

ketchin' and he'd left orders to allow nobody in the house, except the family and Doc Freeman. Aside from tellin' me that and what happened with George Stevens, he didn't talk nothin' but horses, and I was actually sorry when he had to leave for the depot, 'cause he was tellin' me things I'd never known; and me havin' been in the horse business all my life.

"There wasn't much of anybody left for the gossips to pry information out of: Ma Beam was sick in bed with rheumatism and Ab had his hands full lookin' after her; Ruby had give up her boarders before Late left, and it was too cold to stand outside and talk through a closed door; so interest in Flora kind'a lagged.

"Some of the women-folks took over glasses of jelly and left 'em out front, and Billy Debusk filled a gunny-sack with groceries, which he charged up to loss, and left at Ruby's door."

21

"Sunday night, it was the night after the big blizzard that killed half the stock in the country, Ruby was alone with Flora, and Doc Freeman hadn't give her much hope when he'd left before supper. About nine o'clock she heard a soft knock on the door. "Who's there?" she called. "It's me, Ruby, won't you let me in?' a voice said.

"Late!' Ruby cried, and started for the door; then she stopped. 'But, Late, I can't-I-I promised!'

"Just for a few minutes, Ruby! Please! Then I'll go away and never come back if you say for me to,' Late whispered.

much for breakin' her promise. She was there alone with a mighty sick child, the beams in the ceilin' was crackin' and snappin' with the cold, the wind was howlin' outside, and she was scared. She opened the door and Late slipped in. He was half froze, but he didn't seem to notice that.

"Look!" he said. 'It's for Flora!' Under one arm he had a package done up in store-paper. I reckon he'd walked clear from Dawson, for there hadn't been a train movin' for twentyfour hours on account of the storm.

"They went to the kitchen, Late and Ruby, and together they undid the package; it was a doll with real yellow hair. Ruby smoothed out its dress and put on a shoe that had slipped off, then they took it into the room where Flora was.

"Late took Flora up in one arm and held the doll in the other. She stretched out her little hands and touched the curly yellow hair and the pink silk dress, and laughed; a happy little laugh. She took the doll in her arms and kissed it and squeezed it tight; then she threw one arm 'round Late's neck and kissed him. 'Papa! Ruby! Papa!' she whispered, and her little golden head dropped on Late's shoulder and her blue eyes closed for the last time."

23

"Dang these specs-it's a sight the way they cloud up of late. Seems like a man don't more than get to the place where he has sense enough to enjoy life, till he begins to fall to pieces.

"No, this ain't a sad story. Flora done more than most of us ever will.

ROM every point of view, our own interests, moral, political and economic, are vitally affected by our relations with Nicaragua and our other weak neighbors. To the south of us are twenty republics with an area more than twice that of the United States, an area which is one of the great food supply regions of the world, and must soon become a vast market for manufactured goods, with a population of nearly one hundred million people, proud, sensitive and patriotic. As the leading power in this great hemisphere, we are bound to set before them the highest standard of respect for law and consideration for their rights. "It is excellent to have a giant's strength," but it is barbarous to abuse it. We are under every obligation to respect the sovereignty of these republics, and to build up that confidence and foster that friendship which inevitably spring from right conduct upon the part of a strong nation. We owe these peoples the same respect and the same consideration that we pay to the greatest and most powerful nations.

The policy which has been pursued during the last year by our Government violates at once the Constitution of the United States and fixed principles of international law.

The Constitution of the United States provides that the Congress shall have power, among other things, "to declare war, to raise and support armies, to provide and maintain a navy." This power is vested in Congress and not in the President, because the people of the United States supply the soldiers who do the fighting. It is their husbands, their sons, their brothers, who are called upon to risk their lives in battle, and they have never given any man the power to involve them in war without the consent of their representatives assembled in Congress. If, therefore, the President feels that there is an occasion for using military force in a foreign country, he is bound first to get the authority of Congress, and must not carry on war himself or create a situation where war is the only alternative.

It is no excuse that the President believes that certain things are beneficial. He has no right to exercise any power not given to him, or to decide the question of war or peace, which is expressly committed to Congress. He is not entitled to decide for this country whether acts of war are beneficial or not. It is for Congress to decide the policy of the country. The President's powers are executive not legislative.