The St. Johns herald., 1897-03-20
"HE machine" of one of the polit-
 ical parties of Butte County was

venrOn was in progress. Everything had been settled without friction up to a certain point, but here the making or candidates came to a full stop. some one must be selected to run for Super intendent of Schools, and some one else must be found who was diSinterested enough to stand for the place of County Surveyor. with the nominal emOlu- ments pertaining thereto. This latter problem was settled, after a brief dis cussiOn, by the powers insisting that Al Wood, the incumbent, who was present, must stand for reelection, whether he liked it or not; but duly qualified can didate for Superintendent of Schools was not so easily found. The man who had held that position for two years past had the bad taste to give up his office and his grasp on life at the same time, only two weeks before, thus leav- ing his party in quandary for candl- date to succeed him. Of course, there were plenty of asprants for the nom- inatiOn, but most of them were unaVall- able for reasons political, and the can didate must be q person who wls pop ular with the voters of the county.
 Jimmie" Van Vert, the handsome young assayer of the Spread Eagle Mill, had been sitting in a dark corner of the office in which the conference was being held, smoking quietly and saying very little until now; but he finally put in his oar long enough to suggest that Professor" Striker, the young principal of the local school, would make a good man for the office.
 "Ya-as," aSsented Judge Bullock, the venerable Justice of the Peace, but they don't know him out in tn kentry, an we got [ have some feller tht c'n ketch th' aoutside vote. Now, Jimmie, look yerp. Whats tn matter with you runuin' fr Super'nteud'nt y'rself?"
 Don't get me mixed in on q deal like that" ejaculated Van Vert, fer ,~-ly. aa- 'aD- .-| ..a 'l-et. I've got troubles enough now"
 But Judge Bullock's eugEes ion met with unanimous approval on the part of all the others present, and, very much against his will, Mir. Van Vert was slated for the nomination. and duly placed in nomintiOn by the cOnven- ton a few days later. It was two weeks before he found out what sort of an opponent he was 10 have, and then, much to his disgust, he learned that the other party had nominated a girl.
 This was almost enough to make him throw up the canvass. The idea of the other fellows thinking that he could be beaten by a woman. Then he cOnsoled himself with the reflection that perhaps they knew they couldn't beat him, and had merely put up this Miss Smith to act as a forlorn hope. Thenceforth he did not put much activity into his can vass, but attended to business pretty much as usual, serene in the belief that ! the voters of Butte County were not yet arrived at the stage of progression when they would permit a woman to hold office. And all this time, be 1t known, this heretofore unknown and mysterious Miss Smith was becoming known to the voters of the county, and what was more, she was winning a good deal of support from sources upon which Van Vert confidently counted.
 It lacked only about ten days of cleo ton day when Van Vert, with sud den shock, came to his senses. Two OI three things had occurred to detract was the avowal on the part of several personal and political friends of their intention to support Miss Smith, giving as their reasons that she had d good record as an educator and was without doubt we'll qualified for the office; that sle wanted tae office, and was making a hard fight for it; and that Van Vert didn't want iC and didn't need t. On ID ot -- -e -.z Informed thrt his opponent had been out in the "cow dis tricts," and had the cowboy vote pretty we'll "cinched." This cheering an nouncement came from two or three oi the bosses who called on him to sec if he didn't think it worth while to gel out and save his political scalp by "ruS ting like the rest of the candidates Well have the committee fix some dates for you to speak, and you've go to fill 'em, Jimmie; if you don't you're gone goose" said they.
 So, with the inward fear that ht might, after all, be defeated, Van Wert began in earnest the effort to save him self. He did not care for the office, but he dreaded defeat at the hands of q woman, being one of the kind of mer who do not believe the gentler sex has any business in politics. He pictured Miss Smith as a big, gaunt, red-haired self-assertive person. with large red hands and a snappy way of speaking and was quite surprised to learn thai she really a very ladylike youne woman, tipping the beam at about IL pounds
 T ked but four days of election day. Gud the various candidates were put,-ug in every hour possible in mak .ng spa eches and seeing their constlt ==--------. nd other people. Van Wert naC DIT u some very telling work in seyera places where it would do the most good Uu. D two or three precincts 1t was for10d hat strong sentiment iu faVOl