Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-07-30
POLITICS.
AN INSTRUCTIVE LETTLEsToRY.
w II. Yenable, in

AN INSTRUCTIVE LITTLEsToRY.
Politics. said he, mo, l guess l
won't 90 in for politics. The fact of
the matter is, my wife is Presbyter>
ian, regular church member, and
all that kind Of thing, and, though /
don't care overmuch what folks say,
'twould make her mad, and the girls,
too, if anyone took away my charac
ter; so / don't want TO be mayor of
this town, nor any other town"
The speaker was tall, raw boned
man, perhaps 55 years Of age, and, as
he delivered his hacangue in the dry
est OF tones, | could not but be struck
by the strong resemblance which exist
ed between him and Lincoln. This
fact, naturally increased my curiosity.
/ was really anxious to be enlighten~
ed as to his points of view, SO object
ed "But, you have no black page in
your past life which could have given
anyone a hold on you, "
"Well, " he said, that's true, but it
don't make any difference, "
Seating himself on one Of the YER
anda chairs, and motioning me TO do
likewise, he went on: Years ago,
when | was about II you'll well be-
lieve that wasn't yesterday, nor the
day before, my people were just come
to this place, and | felt kind of strange
at the public school until / got in
with Jim Low, who was a mighty
good friend TO me, and who had the
kindest heart in the world, though he
fall taf N ln
Well, boys will be boysl When Jim
was about 20 he got tired of our little
dead and alive town and went out
west, where he made good deal of
money, and after he'd been twice
mayor of his city we weren't surprised
to find him running for governor of
ms state; and we were pretty proud Of
him too, until those WESTERN newspa-
pers began telling US what a scamp
he'd grown TO be. | was sorry, for I'd
always liked him, and didn't believe
half their internal stories Well,
during the tiAe that he was running
for governor | managed to put my
foot INTO it. / was sitting just here,
and in came a spruce looking young
fellow, who took off his hat aud SAID:
What dear old country house you
have here, colonel'
"'The house isn't bad. said /, but
it's not very old.
Been long in your family2' he
asked.
"'Not very, l answered, for l be-
gan to think that he came begging
from one of the churches
~ trust you are quite we'll, he
went on; you ought to be in this
healthy, beautiful, and interesting
old place.
so, we do we'll enough, said; ;
but you're wrong if you suppose
there's any thing interesting for
strangers here,
"'You surprise Me, said he, 4
should have judged YOU must have a
good deal Of wealth and talent
Not much TO boast of one way or
the other, said | the only talent
I ever heard of here has done right,
and gone TO exercise itself somewhere
else.
Night | ask you to explainf
"'I'l tell you just what mean,
said IQor when l found out he did
not want to sell a book or Ay-catcher
nor even combs, I didn't mind talk
ing); i mean this sir that when
Jim Low left this town ne walked off
with pretty much all the brains in it,
with that he ont with a note book
and pencil, and, thinks !, What a
fool I've been he comes from one
Of the churches, after all Well, he
only went on with: You were ac~
quainted with Mr.. Low before he
left this toWnf
~ guess was, [ cried; why. we
were schoo. boys together.
"'What kind of a bow was he-a
favorite with teacher and scholars 2
asked he
80! the boys liked him we'll
enough, and l guess the girls liked
him better, but the teacher was death
ON him He was expelled once for
hiding all the india-rubbers. / don't
know if they were ever found again,
l cried laughing over the recollec
ton.
"'And then I suppose he entered
an Office, or store, something of thai
kind said the stranger
" Not he, went on, like a fool as
/ was; lac went about skylarking with
all the pretty girls in the place, and
almost married one of them when he
was 10.
u didn't suspect why every now
and then he made a mark or two in
lis notebook, for I'D never met that
kind Of fellow before. l thought lie
was absent minded.
What was the young lady,