Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-07-30
POLITICS..
AN INSTRUCTIVE LITTLE STORY.

AN INSTRUCTIVE LITTLE SIOR4.
"Politics!' said he, mo, I guess
won't go in for politics. The fact of
the matter is, my wife is a Pcesbyter>
ian, a regular church member, and
all that kind of thing, and, though I
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 SIS years of age, and, as
he delivered his harangue 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 J. object
ed: 'But, you have no black page in
your past life which could have given
anyone hold on you"
"Well,2 he said, chats 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 I was about IL you'll well be-
iieve that wasn't yesterday, nor the
day before), my people were just come
to this place, and Ifelt kind of strange
at the public school until I got IN
with Jim Low, who was mighty
good friend to me, and who had the
kindest heart in the world, though he
was as full as mischief as he could be.
Well, boys will be boys! When Jim
was about 90 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
his state; and we were pretty proud of
him too, until those western newspa-
pers began tel4ing us what a scamp
he'd grown to be. I was sorry, for I'd
always liked him, and didn't believe
half their Internal stories. Well,
during the time that he was running
for governor | managed to put my
foot into it. [ was sitting just here,
and IN came. spruce-looking young
fellow, who took off his hat and said:
What dear old country house you
have here. colonel"
1.-The house isn't bad said |, but
it's not very old
"'Been long IN your family?' he
asked.
"'Not very I answered, for ] be-
gan to think that he came begging
from one of the churches.
CT trust you are quite well, he
went on; you ought to be in this
healthy, beautiful, and interesting
old place
40, we do well enough, said;
but you're wrong if you suppose
there's anything interesting for
strangers here,
"'You surprise me, said he, L
should have judged you must have
good deal Of wealth and talent
Not much to boast of one way or
the other said I; the only talent
I ever heard of here has done right,
and gone to exercise itself somewhere
else
Might I ask you to explains?
"I'll tell you just what I mean,'
said IGor when I found out he did
not want to sell a book or fy-catcher
nor even combs, I didn't mind talk
ing); I mean this, sir that when
Jim Low left this town he walked off
with pretty much all the brains in it.
with that he out 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 towng
I guess | was, I cried; why, we
were schoo- boys together.
"'What kind of a boy was he-a
favorite with teacher and scholars?'
asked he.
go! the boys liked him well
enough, and | 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,
I cried laughing over the recollec-
ton.
"'And then I suppose he entered
an Office, or store, something of that
kind?' said the stranger.
mot he,' I went on, like fool as
was; 'he went about skylarking with
all tie pretty girls in the place, and
almost married one of them when he
was 49,
Il didn't suspect why every now
and then he made a mark or two in
his note book, for I'd never met that
kind of fellow before. [ thought he
was absent-minded
"'What was the young lady's