Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-11-10
THE AUDITORS WIFE.

was in the hands Of his friends" for
the fourth time. after the ancient and
honorable custom of candidates for po-
htical preferment- Odd, is it not, that
men who are otherwise very bright will
they are deluding other people with
that venerable lie? never knew a man
TO rise 10 any remarkable altitude in the
world political who left his candidacy
to ''his friends" Once in awhile a
man Of that sort comes TO the surface
and is pushed into the city council, or on
70 the board of education, by friends"
who are too lazy to want those thanks
less, bootless jobs themselves.
This trustful individual ALWAYS shines
in the position thus thrust upon him.
Having nothing to fear he inaugurates
reforms, says what his innocent, guile
less mind prompts him to say, and does
divers other impractical and impolitic
things, thereby making himself a rec
ord. but making it uncomfortable for
1.-THE boys" who tremble all the time
for fear he viii succeed by the help Of
the only too willing opposition in doing
some supremely idiotic thing that will
cost the party lot of votes at the next
election. So his first term is generally
his last. and 1.-The boys" gently, but
firmly, consign him to the oblivion of
his own private affairs and clear con-
science, which latter is considered by
most people to be very comfortable
thing to possess.
As said, however, SHE Burton, audi
tor Of Apache county, was in the hands
Of his friends. That was literally true,
however, on this particular occasion,
for Sile was q very sick man. 1t was his
own fault; that Is, he had no business to
20, as he did, with Sheriff Tom Owens
to suppress that riot over in the Bloomer
district last month. 1t was not in the
line Of his duties. But then the call had
been q hasty and imperative one. and
Tom was short on deputies as well as
being pressed for time, and Sile could
hardly have refused to go even II he had
wanted to, which he did not.
He enjoyed little row as well as the
sheriff himself did, and besides he was
one Of tho most obliging men in the
world. So he went, and not only got hit
with club or something, but received a
a bullet in his interior department.
while Tom and the rest of the posse es-
capped without scratch. Sile was bet
ter now and could think with consid-
cradle facility, which was unfortunate
perhaps, because his thoughts were
mostly Of his expiring term Of Office and
his helpless condition.
It was pretty tough, everybody agreed.
because it was going to be ''close"
year and Sile was a great worker. His
friends, too. unfortunately were kept
pretty busy looking out for their own
scalps, and could not give his affairs the
attention they needed.
There was the last payment still due
on the house; there was paper" in the
bank to be taken up; Sile Burton was
In a bad financial way, because. in addi-
ton to being what is known as good
fellow" he had made some unfortunate
investments lately. and now, to COM
plete his misery and overflow the cup,
Brad Boutwell,, Of Chloride district. had
come out, In his sneaking bat effective
way, for Jere Hobart for county auditor.
and was working night and day for his
man. who had been Sile's strongest OPP
ponent in the last convention. Oh, it
was tough. and here was Sile, lying help
less. with the nominating convention
only two weeks awsyi
All this and much more Sile poured
into the ears OF his pretty little wife. as
she lowered over him attending to his
many wants in the way that nobody but
a woman, and womsnly woman. ever
will learn. She did not say so. but she
had had talk with Tom Owens that
day. and be had agreed with her that
the outlook was pretty blue: for Brad
Boutwell,. boss Of the Mountain Girl and
two lesser mines. employer of 800 men
and an entirely INSCRIPTIONS politician.
was about the worst man in the county
20 have on the other side, and he had
assured Owens that he certainly intend
ed 10 defeat Burton's denomination, and
that's ali there Is 70 IL Il goes. too.
what Brad Boutwell, says. and you know
it, Tom Owens"
Yes. Tom did know II. aud he knew
that without Boutwell, his own name
was Dennis for he had not the
strength in the precincts near town that
Burton had. SO his hands were tied
and he could do nothing for Sils in the
Chloride district.
Mrs. Burton said nothing 70 sile 81
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