| Show ARCHIE BAKER His Degree JEFFERSON HUGHES the President of the Hilltop Silver SlIver Mining Company sat in his private office on a warm warm morning early in the month of July turning over in his hand a telegram fresh from the wires The devil take it he murmured Why cant can't he go himself The idea of me a respectable business man an the President of the largest corporation of the state leading a handful handful of 3 of young militiamen out to quell a riot All the theother theother other Iother officers gone off to the seaside or somewhere else for the summer if the Governor wont won't go it looks as if Ill I'll just have to go myself Oh Ohl this is a anice nice mess Ive I've gotten myself into 1 He picked up the telegram which y was from the Governor of the state and read again It Strikers are making trouble at the theAir theAir Air Tight and Windy Reduction works Have called out the militia Want you to go to Windsor and take command and sustain the sheriff in keeping order For J effel son Hughes was Adjutant General of the State National Guard But a short time previous when the militia was being first organized the Governor had tendered him the position position position tion and he had accepted it he didn't know why himself unless it was that the Governor was his friend and he was not averse avers averse to appearing with that official official official cial on state occasions occasions such as Worlds World's Fair official banquets parades etc His secretary entered the room and laid before him an engraved visiting ting card with the remark Young man man man- been here several times very times very anxious to see you something about engineering engineer engineer- ing work The chief picked up the card and read upon it Archibald Craig Baker he turned it over several times then when his secretary had finished if- if he threw it to one side r r li Tell him Im I'm too too- bu buoy y Gregg Hold on you might as well send him himin himin himin in now Ill I'll soon finish him up A well appearing rather attractive young man of probably twenty-three twenty or twenty-four twenty years of age was shown into the room It Good morning Mr Hughes he beg began D I I know Im I'm a perfect perfect perfect per per- stranger to you yet I have taken the liberty liberty The big man glared at hi him Never mind about that Please state your business as briefly as possible Im Im I'm looking ng for a position tion on one of your engineering corps I have just been graduated from University University- Never heard of it but it doesn't matter Go on The young man was somewhat embarrassed embarrassed embarrassed em em- by this abruptness but he continued I I have completed the course in mining engineering and now Im I'm looking for a position that will give me methe methe methe the practical experience and at the same time bring me in a salary Our train was robbed on the way out and the money I had for expenses is gone so I am very anxious to get to earning something right away Oh That's all is it Well Im I'm sorry but we cant can't accommodate you The fact is we are not hiring any men menat menat menat at all You say you are fresh from college take my advice and if you dont don't want to cut your own throat say nothing to anyone else about it If you want to go into practical work you might just as well have served a term in the penitentiary as to have taken a college course in either case it is you will have to live down Mr Hughes you seem to be prejudiced prejudiced prejudiced diced diced Oh Ohl well I dont don't quite mean all that said the big man beginning to relax a little but but Ive I've had some queer experiences with college men men We had one last year from Harvard I told him if he want wanted d to learn the side 3 of mining he would have to start in with a shovel He tried it for a few days then gave it up in disgust and the last I heard of him he was teaching teaching- school There was another one j I never knew what did become of him The boys drummed him out of camp Ive I've heard for opening a pot jack-pot on a queen and a ten but I dont don't believe the thed d story He was from Yale and I give him credit for better than that The president was really becoming communicative and was about to ask his visitor to be seated when the thought of the accursed telegram and f what it meant brought back his former coldness and the interview soon came cameto cameto cameto to an en end d. d Archie Baker left the mining company's company's com com- pany's offices and started aimlessly down the street His disappointment almost overcame him To ensure his graduation n and secure his degree had been the one thing for which he had worked and in doing so he had sacrificed ced time money and more than all the love of the sweetest dearest girl alive When the discovery was made by the faculty committee on graduation that he had never taken the course in physiology he thought he saw his coveted degree slipping out of his fingers The matter practically lay in inthe inthe inthe the hands of Doctor Kern chairman of the committee but he was Professor of Physiology and considered that subject an indispensable part of every college course However he had other hob hob- bies A physiologist and scientist he was a great advocate of the doctrine of Evolution a naturally religious man and an earnest Christian worker he had for years been president of the Associated Christian Associations And with all his his' excellent qualities he lie was vain more so than most men Archie Baker saw that he would have to attack the old doctor on his weak side He began to take a leading part in the I Christian Association meetings and in his remarks he would quote much from Dr Kerns Kern's latest works on Evolution almost more than from the Bible He began to call regularly and show every attention to homely Miss Kern and he never let an opportunity go by to drop a few words of praise in regard to her fathers father's scientific work or in regard to 1 the Christian Association Association which he knew would find their way to the old doctors doctor's ears Poor Mabel Forsythe with whom Archie had been deeply in inlove inlove inlove love for years was almost heartbroken at his sudden coldness and neglect Her grief cut him to the heart too but he would say to himself Poor Mabel I know its it's cruel but I must have my degree after I get it Ill I'll soon be in a position to make her the happiest creature in all this land And now that he had his degree he found he could do nothing with it it was of little more value valle than the parchment parchment parchment parch parch- ment on which it was written A position with the Hilltop Silver Mining Company had been his great reat hope j now that that was gone he must try something else All day long he walked the streets of the city applying for work at every large business house he came came cameto to but always getting the same reply times were dull it was necessary to C cat t down forces rather than increase them In the evening he passed a building in the basement of which was a large lighted brilliantly-lighted hall over the entrance appeared a sign in lar large e gilt letters The Tunnel side of the door N Nailed ailed up against the was another sign made out of a dry goods box beating in black dauby letters the inscription National Guard Headquarters Recruits wanted Our hero did not see this latter sign but attracted by the noise and light he passed down the steps into the hall No sooner had he reached the botton than he was addressed by a pale-faced pale young man who who- asked if he wished to enlist enlis t. t Enlist said Baker taken completely completely completely com com- by surprise what do o you mean Why dont don't you know the militia has been ordered to Windsor to keep the strikers quiet at the Air Tight and Windy smelters said the pale-faced pale young man and I didn't know but that you had answered the call for recruits Excuse me if I have made a mistake Let a man begin to boast of the ills he has escaped of the tasks he will never perform it is like reminding the fates that the measure of his humiliation humiliation humiliation humilia humilia- tion is incomplete and they at once proceed to make up the deficiency Do Donot Donot Donot not accident and disease always come cometo cometo cometo to him who has exulted over his immunity immunity immunity im im- from them and is not the braggart braggart braggart brag brag- gart the first to have his pride trampled in the dusts At University the department of Military Science and Tactics had been given great prominence prominence nence and all students were required to take military drill during their first two years Archie Baker more than anyone anyone any any- one else perhaps chafed under this compulsory drill The very idea of the institution was to him a monstrosity which it was the duty of every thoughtful thought thought- ful student to combat and he himself as one of the board of editors of his college paper took every ery opportunity to deliver a blow at this hated depart depart- ment During the two years in which he was compelled to drill he heas was as continually instilling into the minds of his comrades comrades comrades com com- rades his own disaffection and so openly was this done that there was no cause to wonder why he never arose to any position higher than that of a private in the rear rank And when the last inspection was over he returned his equipment to the armory threw away his and made a vow that never would he e encourage by word or act it anything which had to do with military science and tactics All All- this passed through his mind as ashe ashe ashe he stood in the armory of the National Guard But he was in a stra strange ge city without money with no friends to call upon for aid would it not be better to serve as a militiaman for a dollar a aday aday aday day than to beg N No 0 he said aloud to the pale-faced pale young man you haven't made any mistake I do want to enlist r c The militia had been in camp at Windsor for nearly a week The novelty of camp life had begun to wear off and many young preparatory school students and beardless clerks who had joined the militia to have some fun began to wish themselves back at their schools and places of business and at night resting in their comfortable beds at home Men of energy and training were in demand and Archie Baker rapidly rose from a private first to a non commissioned commissioned commissioned commis commis- then tIlen to a comm commissioned officer and a week after his enlistment he was the ranking captain of the regiment The Cook River wound around the tract of land on which the reduction works were situated and made a little peninsula of it The stream m was broad and deep and the only means of access to the smelters was along the isthmus joining the Air Tight and Windy Compans Compan's Compans Compan's Com Com- pans pan's property to the town of Windsor As yet there had been no outbreak by the strikers Not that they feared the presence of the militia whom they outnumbered They were only waiting to strike the decisive blow blo and capture the wor works ks The crash came carne all at once General Gener l Hughes was taken completely by surprise surprise surprise sur sur- prise and made a prisoner by the strikers The command fell to Captain Baker He saw the strikers beginning to sweep down the rail railway way track towards the little isthmus It would ber berthe the next thing to murder to mow them down with bullets when they attempted to get by bythe bythe the troops He must head them off Could he move his troops in an orderly manner quick enough to do it Not a moment was to be lost The superior military training he had received at at University during the the- two years ears he had carried a gun in the rear rank came to his rescue His plan succeeded The strikers were headed off charged and swept back through the town of W Windsor Wind Wind- ind- ind sor many of them across the railroad bridge into the open country Everywhere Everywhere Everywhere Every Every- where did Captain Bakers Baker's foresight and technical training show itself The strikers were utter utterly routed Windsor was placed under martial law the leaders leaders leaders lead lead- ers of the disturbance were captured and placed under arrest General Hughes was rescued When the trouble was over and Captain Captain Captain Cap Cap- tain Baker returned to private life Jefferson Hughes at once appointed him to one of the most lucrative positions positions positions in his control f In the last register of University a list is given of all the graduates of the institution In the list of the class of 9 9 there are two names that most interest us One reads Mrs Mabel Fors Forsythe the Baker present address Lake City The other is Archibald Craig Baker present address Lake City oc occupation General Manager Hilltop Silver Mining Company Geo Ceo 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