Page:History of Oregon Literature.djvu/632

 Dorothy Haradon. His literary activity has been in three fields: as a conductor of one of the popular radio book programs, as a plat form lecturer on Dr. McLoughlin and other topics, and as the writer of two well-known books. He has given his radio talks on books over KGW and KEX since 1914. He is on the lecture staff of World Celebrities, with five subjects, one of which is an account of his experiences in writing his biography of Dr. John McLoughlin. He is the author of Pechuck: Lorne Knight's Adventures in the Arctic, 1931, and The White-Headed Eagle: John McLoughlin, Builder of an Empire, 1934.

Many are the stories which have come down to us from old settlers who remember the White-Headed Eagle as a patriarchal figure in the early days of Oregon City. . ..

Toward the last it became difficult for him to curb his anger when he chanced to meet some settler who persistently refused to pay even though he could well afford to do so. Up would go his stout cane in righteous indignation, but, in a moment, he would catch himself, utter a scarcely audible "God forgive me," and hurry on his way. His granddaughter recalled that he used to segregate these old accounts into groups, according to their possibility of collection, and enter them in leather-bound blank books of various colors. He fell into the habit of spending long, weary hours over these grim reminders of his sorrow. Sometimes, after a whole evening of such torture, his massive white head would nod, and, leaning over his desk, he would sob loudly and unashamed.

Like most women of her race, Margaret became very stout as she grew older. The doctor continued to treat her with great deference, and he was quick to resent any slight shown her by the colonists. If one of them chanced to enter her presence without removing his hat, the chivalrous old gentleman would rebuke him severely, no matter who he happened to be. "Your manners, sir," he would blurt out, "your manners, before ladies!"